


Rio Village Nights

by Bondopoulos



Category: Veronica Mars (TV), Veronica Mars - All Media Types
Genre: 2016 Summer Olympics, Alternate Universe, F/M, For the Gold, I hope we're still friends after I taser you, Olympics Shenanigans, Rio 2016, The Dick You Want, polo players go deep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-12
Updated: 2016-10-29
Packaged: 2018-08-08 02:12:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 39,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7739467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bondopoulos/pseuds/Bondopoulos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Veronica wins the first gold of the Rio Olympics for shooting and then sets her 'sights' on a cute athlete in a bar who is fighting to keep his mind on the game.</p><p>AU LoVe fic that takes place during the Rio Olympic Games. Cameos by most of the VM gang.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. LoVe Night One

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lisawolfe80](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lisawolfe80/gifts).



> I know everything's one big party in Rio, but I always imagined it would be slightly less exciting to win the first medal because everyone still had to at least somewhat be in competition mode. This idea popped into my head, and it's my birthday, so I decided to write something light and fun for Lisa...because we could both use it!
> 
> There will only be a few chapters...just some light summer fun :)
> 
> Thanks, kmd0107 for the beta. Let me know what you think!

 

[](http://tinypic.com?ref=534gom)

Cover art by the wonderful AlinaSorokina. Thank you!

 

LoVe Night One:

_And then there were two._ Veronica cautiously looked to the left to size up her sole competition left standing. The girl looked confident, which made Veronica squirm. She adjusted the red and blue visor on her head one minutiae for probably the thousandth time in the past half hour. It was a nervous habit of hers, one that her father constantly teased her about.

"Unladylike," he liked to say with a chuckle. As if there was anything remotely ladylike about her at the moment. She was clad from finger to toe in leather—and it wasn't the sexy kind.

Resisting the urge to bring her fingers up to adjust the visor again, Veronica felt a drop of sweat trail down from her hairline and land somewhere behind her ear. She always sweat when she was nervous. It was her tell even more so than the fidgeting with her headwear, but less obvious. _Thank goodness._ She supposed it was better than a twitchy nose or something else that would mess with her game—with her aim.

_Be cool, soda pop,_ she reminded herself. _One more shot and the show is over._

Veronica pulled herself back into the moment, doing her best to appear cool as the proverbial cucumber. This was unexpected. She was the underdog here, not that you'd know it by the scoreboard.

Her right eye narrowed as she channeled all her focus—all her knowledge and training—and with one steady inhale, arched her back slightly, getting into the position that was almost second nature to her by now. She exhaled as her right index finger moved almost imperceptibly to lightly squeeze the trigger.

It felt good. Everything had come together, culminating in this one perfect moment. A grin broke out on Veronica's face before the pellet even hit its mark. She didn't need to look at the scoreboard or wait for her competitor's shot to know she'd done it.

Gold!

 

* * *

 

Logan swam hard, reaching the ball first and swiftly passing it to his team's left wing without even a second's pause. Dick caught it easily, and with a grunt, tossed it with force back to Enbom at center. Logan took advantage of the reset to quickly put a few more inches between himself and the defenseman that had been all over him since this game had started. _Asshole_. He was damn sick and tired of being shoved around, pinched and clawed under the water, yet was determined to keep his game as clean as possible. He was playing well; they all were. Rough play wasn't anything new to him, but his reaction had to be.

He didn't want to fall into old habits and get another penalty. _Play clean_ , that was his motto these games. His first games, and god willing, not his last. He'd worked too hard at training camps all summer to escape his long-time reputation of being impulsive. He was determined to leave high school's bad behavior behind and start Stanford in the fall with a clean slate. Now was the time to prove it.

It appeared that the Serbian on his flank had no such plans for himself. Enbom's pass was a little high, and Logan had to jump a bit out of the water to reach for the ball, but Logan, thankfully, managed to catch the sloppy pass and to throw the ball into the net in one fluid motion. The ball had just left his hands when the Serbian's iron heel made contact with Logan's rib cage.

_Ouch, mother—_ he bit his tongue, literally, in an attempt to not punch the asshole in the face. _That's going to leave a mark._

The timeout whistle sounded and Logan was grateful for the distraction. As they approached Coach on the side of the pool, his teammates mobbed him quickly, offering pats on the back and a few playful shoves of the head with their words of 'great play' and 'awesome goal'.

Coach Fennel gave them all a stern talking to, even though Logan knew he must have been bursting with pride. They were playing just as well as they'd been practicing. It felt good.

"That's it, fellas. We've got 'em. Now just run down the clock," he instructed, swiping a few beads of sweat off his brow as he turned to Logan. "Echolls how're your ribs?"

"Fine, Coach," he replied immediately, exerting effort not to touch where the kick had landed. "The refs are fucking blind."

Fennel rolled his eyes and nodded. "Serbia is out to make a comeback. Don't let them score."

And with that, the teams set up for the final moments of play. The US was three points up. It was all about defense now. Logan wished time travel were possible. Just a few moments jump and this would be over.

He had to hand it to the Serbians; they weren't giving up without a fight. Duncan Kane stealthily managed to block several shots that the US team let get too close, and finally the buzzer sounded ending the match. They'd done it.

The team cheered as they made their way to the side of the pool where Coach Fennel waited for them. He was grinning ear-to-ear, but when the team huddled around him, Coach's face pinched into its customary grimace.

"Good job, guys. Way to go. But don't get cocky; we have a lot of work to do. We got lucky. Some of those shots were too damn close for comfort." Coach Fennel turned and took a few steps back. Logan got out of the pool and untied the cap at his neck, knowing Coach wasn't done, but needing the relief he always felt from dragging his nails across his scalp. "I know this feels great, but you need to keep your eyes on the ball."

Logan groaned at Fennel's pun. "That means you, Echolls. Focus! Practice tomorrow and next match is Monday. Get a good night's sleep and I'll see you tomorrow." Coach turned as if he was going to leave again, but turned back and gave them each a pointed look. "I'm serious. No booze, no ladies…I'm talking to you, Casablancas."

Dick laughed and bowed as his teammates snickered, and Coach took off for real this time.

"Dude's gotta be well aware that the village is like one big hook-up fest," Dick protested.

"Not night one, jackass. Not for us. Keep 'Little Dick' in your pants. At least for another week," Enbom ordered, throwing his cap at Dick. " _Capiche_?"

" _Comprendo,_ dude," Casablancas countered, catching the cap on his raised middle finger. He gave the cap a few spins before he let it tumble to the cement floor. "Come on, dude, just one cold one?" he whispered to Logan and Duncan as Enbom headed for the locker room. "Kane?"

"Can't. And neither should you," Duncan shook his head at his teammates.

"You're such a party pooper, Kane." Dick pushed Duncan playfully and then turned back to Logan. "You're in, right? I promise to make sure you're safely tucked into bed before eleven, princess."

Logan sincerely doubted that. But the team had just won, and they were young—and it was Rio. It was as if Dick were an animated devil sitting on his shoulder egging him on. _The ache in my side totally deserves a little sympathy_. "Just _one_." Logan agreed, gingerly rubbing his sore ribs. "If we go early!"

Casablancas' face lit up. "Abso-fucking-lutely. I know you're all about the game now."

Logan high fived his teammate and pulled on his flip-flops before following the others into the locker room, fully aware that he'd probably regret this decision.

* * *

Veronica smiled with satisfaction as she flopped down onto her small bed. She felt the heavy weight of her medal against her chest. It was tucked away in a zipped, inside pocket of her official Olympic Team jacket. She reached up and lightly touched the hard surface at her chest, outlining her medal's circumference with her fingers in awe. _So surreal._

She still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that she was here. Not twenty-four hours ago she'd walked in the Opening Ceremonies, sure it would be the highlight of her trip to Rio. She'd never even come close to scoring as high as she did today; she was so new to the sport. This morning and the actual event were all part of a haze, like a dream she could remember glimpses of, but not much more. And now here she was—belly full of amazing Brazilian food—in the Village. She had met her dad and her best friend Lilly Carnathan for dinner, and they had told everyone they'd encountered that night of her victory, from their waiter to random people walking by on the street. What an amazing day.

Now she was riding a high that she wasn't ready to come down from. She heard some commotion in the hall and smiled. _Who said the night has to be over at all?_ Veronica grabbed her ID and slung it around her neck as she headed for the door. It was time to have some fun.

She'd had to fight her dad to let her stay in the Village at all. She was old enough to make the decision for herself, but she hadn't wanted him to be unhappy with her decision. He'd relented, but begrudgingly. Lilly had been instrumental in his change of heart, backing her friend up ardently. "C'mon, Sheriff," she'd insisted, jumping in place in excitement. "This is Rio! This is what she's been working for. I think it's time to cut the cord. Besides, she'll be armed."

It wasn't a secret what went on in the Village, what with the nightclubs and the nearly half a million condoms handed out to the athletes alone. Upon arrival in her quarters the first things she had noticed were the pack of Trojans on the bedside table and the absence of a TV. She'd laughingly taken a selfie with the room and sent it to Lilly.

'Arrived at Camp Hedonism, no turning back now.'

Lilly's response had been: 'What happens in the village, stays in the village, Veronica Mars. Are you planning to use Tinder or Grindr to hook up?'

Veronica had laughed out loud at that. Her friend loved to tease her. While she'd insisted on the Olympic experience being quintessential—opening ceremonies and housing here had been a must—she wasn't planning to be part of the hook up fest, she just wanted to let loose a little. And if she happened to meet someone, then…maybe. For the moment she was just trying to enjoy her first truly solo experience. This Olympic Village stay was something that her friends' money couldn't buy—something that was all hers. She'd earned it.

She followed the sound of voices into the stairwell, keeping a safe distance from the loud Aussies as they trotted down the stairs to the main level. 'Word on the street is that Aussies always know where to party,' Lilly had informed her. Veronica had no idea if her friend was correct, but it was worth investigating further.

Veronica tracked the troop of Aussies as they took her past one of the main eating areas of the complex. The waft from McDonald's caught her attention. Her previously ready-to-burst tummy suddenly made room. _Free fries? You bet_ I'm _lovin' it!_

Armed with complimentary potato goodness, Veronica continued to explore her surroundings. She wished she'd taken more time to get acquainted with her fellow athletes a little better. Her event had been so early in the schedule, and shooting wasn't exactly a team sport. But she was determined not to let the fact that she didn't really know anyone hold her back. She was a gold medalist...she could brave the Village alone; she had the perfect conversation starter.

The main cafeteria was alive and busy despite the late hour. Veronica slipped in through the main double doors and gasped at the scene before her. It was exactly like the cafeteria at Paly High. Well, except that everyone was beautiful. And extremely fit. It was like someone had cloned her high school's jock table a thousand times over.

_Screw finding someone nice. In this crowd, any dream will do,_ she mused, gulping audibly past the lump in her throat as one hottie—complete with eight pack under that shirt, she was sure—walked by. _Um,_ _yes please!_

* * *

Logan listened to his conscience enough to try to be inconspicuous, but ignored its gnawing orders to return to his room before he made _any_ bad decisions. He nursed his beer from a table in the corner, watching Dick make a fool of himself. Dick was currently imbibing his fifth drink and hitting on every girl that passed by. This Village club wasn't dead by any stretch of the imagination, but it wasn't crazy. Yet. It was early in the evening and early in the competition. In a few days, there wouldn't be breathing room in here after 9:00 p.m., and he'd be in the thick of it, no doubt.

Logan groaned and shrunk down in his seat when he saw Mercer Hayes walk into the club and scan the room. _Fucking great, I hate that guy!_ He'd conveniently forgotten Hayes had made the wrestling team, hoping their paths wouldn't cross here. Logan was relieved when Mercer didn't seen him. Not only was the guy a first-class womanizer, he'd always gone out of his way to bring out the worst in Logan throughout their years in high school. But high school was over, and Logan was determined not to take the bait. _Time to collect Dick and bounce._ Logan stood up from the table, his unfinished beer forgotten.

"Fucking Hayes is here," Dick announced. Still hopped up on adrenaline, he jogged in place a little bit as he spoke to Logan. Dick had never been the answer to Logan's prayers, but tonight he'd appeared at Logan's side at just the right moment.

"Yeah, let's skedaddle."

"In a minute. I've gotta finish my beer." Dick pushed Logan back into his chair and sat down in the one next to him. "Dude! Did you see that girl?" Dick asked. "Total hottie."

"I saw you hit on the redhead, which clearly didn't go well. You almost got yourself pummeled." Logan leaned back against the seat, chuckling to himself.

"Man that chick had some serious anger issues…and biceps that could clearly smash my skull. Damn athletes, _Sayonara_! In a few days the word will get around and she'll hear all about what she missed out on tonight. She'll regret turning me down." Dick polished a non-existent apple.

Logan shook his head. "I bet she already does."

Oblivious to his friend's sarcasm, Dick continued, "Shit, yeah! But no—the other girl."

"Oh, you mean the brunette whose _boyfriend_ almost pummeled you?" Logan clarified, laughing at the memory of Dick backing into a corner, wide-eyed, hands up in compliance.

Dick snorted. "Yeah, that was a mistake. Who comes to the Village attached?" He finished his beer with a large gulp. "But no, the _other_ girl."

Logan shrugged. "Dick, 'Guess Who' was never my forté as a kid. Why don't you just tell me?"

"The _blonde_ ," Dick said as if it were obvious. "The tiny little blonde over there" —Dick pointed to a table in a different corner— "She wanted to climb me like a tree. She even laughed at my shirt." Dick pointed to himself smugly.

"Well, then I already question her taste." Logan leaned forward and flicked the rooster on his friend's shirt that read: 'Quit staring at my COCK'.

Dick glared at him. "Seriously. She won gold today. The first of the games. I definitely picked up the vibe from her that she wanted to party."

_First gold, huh?_ That fact _did_ intrigue Logan. He leaned forward and spotted a petite blonde sitting at the table alone, looking forlorn. The glass in front of her was empty and her chin rested on her hand. _She's cute. Totally my type except for the hitting on Dick part._ "Fine, I believe you; but if she was all over you, why are you sitting here with me?"

Dick's jaw jutted out as if the answer were obvious. "She's not my type. She's so sweet she probably shits marshmallows. She has a dude's name, and she's armed."

"Armed?"

"She won for shooting!" Dick paused and waved to the blonde who waved back, shaking her head, a quirky half-smile tugging at her lips. "Let's swing around to say hi to her before we bounce. She's totally your type." Dick ticked off the count using his fingers. "Let's see here: hot, blonde, a little spunk—if you know what I'm saying." Dick winked. "You should get her number—maybe hook up with her when Coach releases your balls from whatever pickle jar he's keeping them in."

Logan knew he must have lost his mind, but he was actually considering it. She _was_ cute, and shooting…that was hot. He sat in silence for a moment, letting his conscience duke it out with Devil-Dick sitting on the other shoulder. Too long it seemed, because when he looked up he saw the girl striding purposefully toward them. He stood when she reached their table.

"Hey, guys," she said, directing a confident smile at Logan as she sat down.

"Hey, Ronnie," Dick said, turning to his friend. "Meet Logan."

Veronica rolled her eyes at Dick. "It's _Veronica_ ," she corrected. " _Still_ Veronica," she told Dick, though she didn't look upset about it. She seemed amused. Logan was instantly captivated.

"Um…same diff." Dick threw up his hands, unaffected.

"Not even remotely, Dick," Logan replied, not missing a beat—and not taking his eyes off the girl in front of him while he returned to his seat. "Nice to meet you, _Veronica._ I hear you're a Cracker Jack shooter. Congratulations!"

"I was today, anyways!" she said, her eyes dancing. "It's actually pretty amazing. I mean, I wasn't expected to win—hell, I was a long shot for tenth—so I kind of relaxed and decided to enjoy it and it just sort of…I dunno, happened."

"Sounds nice." Logan found himself leaning in to her before he realized what he was doing. _Not good, Echolls. Stay in the game. Focus. Pool tomorrow._ Logan nodded, glad that his conscience gave him his reminders. "Listen, we've gotta turn in for the night. We have practice tomorrow and a match the day aft—"

"Oh yeah, water polo!" Veronica grinned at him. "I've never played it, but they had it at my high school. It looks rough."

Logan opened his mouth to reply when…

"You wouldn't believe it, Ronnie." Dick thumped his fists on the table dramatically; if they'd had drinks they would have been all over the table.

Logan turned to give him a long stare. _I thought this was a_ me _set up._

Dick ignored him. "Broken ribs…sore muscles. Logan here got a heel to the abs today and didn't even blink."

Veronica's blue eyes opened wide, her mouth forming a small 'o'. "I guess that's something I take for granted. Shooting is a bit of a solo endeavor. Are you okay?"

"I'm—" he started.

"Sore, Ronnie-kins. The boy is always sore and in need of tender loving—"

Dick winced plainly from the hard kick Logan gave him, which made him feel better. "Amscray, Dick."

And for the second time that evening, Dick came through, leaving the table without another word. Logan turned back to Veronica. "I'm fine. And we won today, so it's all worth it. But speaking of water polo, we have—"

"An early morning tomorrow? Believe me it's the story of my life tonight. I never understood the ramifications of early events. I thought I'd love it—time to enjoy myself, have some fun…" The wistful look on her face turned sour. "But it _appears_ that everyone is still in competition-mode. What a disappointment!"

"Sorry!" Logan lamented…really lamented. This was tempting. _She_ was tempting. "Coach sometimes does actual surprise check-ins this early in matches, and I'm trying this new thing where I don't give in to impulses and actually—"

"Focus?" she snarked. "I get it, really. You're a hot water polo player with a lot on the line. Would you at least take a selfie with me so I can send it to my friend, Lilly?" she begged. "I want her to think I'm…having fun." She looked at him hopefully and smiled at him again. A smile that made him feel...

_No no no, Echolls. She's riding an Olympic high and you're chasing one of your own._ He looked around for help and saw Dick at the bar. "Hey, Casablancas, get us three shots," he called out. His friend grinned widely at him, thinking he'd won a fun night.

"Three shots coming up!" he hollered back, winking.

A moment later, Dick set three shot glasses on the table and sat down again, whispering, 'when I'm right, I'm right' into Logan's ear. To Veronica, he said, "What are we toasting? Rio? Gold?"

"I'm so over both at this minute," she replied with a grumble, pulling out her phone and turning on its camera. "Now we're faking it for my friends."

Logan gawaffed. "I'll have you know—"

"That once you go polo, you never go solo?" she snarked. "Polo players go deeper? Yeah, I told you my school had a water polo team, right? I've heard them all."

Logan laughed heartily, impressed. Dick had been right, she had spunk all right. "I was going to say 'we only fake it for the refs'" —Logan grinned and leaned a little closer— "though of course there's also 'only swimmers' girlfriends have to fake it', but yours were better." He ignored the fluttery feeling in his stomach when she smiled triumphantly at him, clearly pleased with herself. He decided to call her bluff and pulled her off of her seat and onto his lap, relishing in how unsteady she looked now that he'd taken the lead. _That's better. Two can play at this game._ He flipped the camera to selfie-mode. "Now put on your medal and hold up your drink," he commanded with a smile. To his surprise, she didn't challenge him and dug into her jacket and pulled out her medal.

Dick moved to her other side and they all posed for the camera. Logan clicked a few times and then handed her phone back to her. She eagerly took it and swiped to view the photos. He was surprised at how unhappy he was at her look of disappointment.

"What?" he asked a little more defensively than he'd intended.

"This looks so…high school," she replied a moment later. "It looks almost exactly like the cast party picture from when I played Emily in 'Our Town'." Her frown looked wrong next to her gold medal.

"Um…except for the shots and the medal," Dick pointed out. "Rio, baby!"

_First faking it and now disappointment. This sounds like a challenge._ While she was still flipping through the pictures, Logan shot a Dick a warning glance that he hoped shouted 'Hands off!' and handed him her medal. "I think we can do better than high school plays," he said with conviction as he took the phone from her again.

Dick, unusually perceptive tonight, must have gotten the message because he took the traditional pose, pretending to bite into her gold medal. Veronica laughed at the sight of it and held her drink high. Dick, laughing too, tapped his drink with hers. Logan moved quickly before he could think better of his actions. He set his drink down on the table, positioned himself just right—for photographic purposes only, of course—and gently attached his lips to the side of her neck.

He'd meant for it to be quick. But then a little tremble ran through her body, which was still pressed against him, and the kiss deepened. He slowly worked his way up her jaw line until he found her pulse point that made her actually shiver. At her deep intake of breath, she slightly turned into him and his mouth was suddenly on hers. Then the kiss deepened even more and he was lost. Lost in the feel of her and the smell of her. She smelled so sweet, but not too sweet. And she tasted…he wanted to taste all of her. He wanted to—

"That's it, dude! Did you get it?"

_What?_ Logan slowly caught up. It was as if his mind desperately wanted to tell him something but his body—

"That's the shot. Take it!"

His brain surfaced just enough to engage his finger, and with a click, he'd done it.

Veronica pulled away first and he opened his eyes to see if she looked as shaken as he felt. She did for a split second, but she recovered faster than he did.

She cleared her throat and tapped to look at the picture. Logan's gaze followed slowly, taking in the shot of him and Veronica kissing.

"Yes! We rock. How's that for faking it?" Dick boomed, downing his shot and fist pumping the air.

_Or maybe he's not so perceptive after all._ Logan gritted his teeth.

Veronica looked at Dick and then downed her shot too. "I take it back, Dick. You guys can make a girl fake like nobody's business." She slid off of Logan's lap and onto a nearby chair and Logan instantly missed the feel of her.

Dick reached past her and took Logan's shot off the table, tossing it back in one swift motion. "That's right, baby!" He turned and walked up to the bartender to settle their tab.

Veronica and Logan cracked up laughing at Dick's proud look and his obliviousness.

"But really," she said after a moment, turning to catch Logan's eye. "I know you've got to get going. Thanks, Logan. Really. I was looking for some fun tonight, and you delivered."

He smiled back at her. "I'm glad. Hey, we're staying across the way." He took a deep breath, suddenly nervous. "Can we walk you back?"

She giggled, looking self-conscious, and stood up from the table. "Oh, no thanks. The night is still young, and I'm finally the one without a curfew. I think I'll stick around here for a little while and see if anyone starts dancing."

Disappointment filled Logan, but he understood. And just because he was as jittery as a schoolgirl didn't mean that she was.

Dick reappeared beside Veronica. "It was nice meeting you, Ronnie." He grinned, giving her a wink. "I've got to make sure this royal pain-in-the-ass" —he thumped Logan fraternally on the back— "gets enough beauty sleep. Maybe we'll see you around."

"Yeah, likewise," she responded, her eyes never leaving Logan's. "See you around."

Logan held out his hand to her. _You're shaking her hand, you idiot?_ Both his conscience and Devil-Dick mocked simultaneously. She took it in hers and he lingered there a moment before murmuring, "Goodnight, Veronica."

Dick grabbed Logan by the upper arm and swung him around. "It's eleven, dude, let's go."

Logan spun around and gave her one last wave before he crossed the threshold and she disappeared from sight.

He didn't like it. He didn't like leaving things like that. It wasn't like he claimed to be a saint; he had plenty of experience with girls, but Veronica seemed…different somehow. Cursing himself for not putting his number in her phone when he'd had the chance, he slowed his steps to buy himself time.

He was trying to come up with a reason to get Casablancas to turn around without sounding like a complete pussy when Dick stepped in front of him, halting his progress. "Okay, even I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I kinda liked Ronnie. Do you really think we should leave her there like that?"

Dick was being rather unDick-like, but Logan wasn't going to knock kismet. "Yeah, man, I was thinking—"

"I mean she's tipsy, right…and with Mercer? He totally gave Madison chlamydia last winter break."

_Oh, hell no!_ Without a moment's pause, Logan spun 180 degrees and hastily retraced his steps back to the club with Dick on his heals. _So much for being back in time for a bed check tonight_ , he thought wearily, tugging at his hair in frustration.

He'd just opened the large wooden door when he came face-to-face with a wide-eyed Veronica. He had to put out an arm to stop her from plowing into him, but was happy for the excuse to touch her.

"Hey!" Logan said, surprised. Realizing he was smiling like an idiot, he forced himself to tone it down. "We were just—"

"I changed my—" she said at the same time.

They both laughed nervously and Dick turned around to give them a moment of privacy.

"You first," he said, realizing that he didn't have a good excuse for returning to the bar.

"Well, I was just saying that I changed my mind; I'd love a walk back. That is, if the offer's still open." She bit her lower lip and looked up at him through thick eyelashes though her eyes looked anywhere but into his.

_She's nervous too! Be cool, Echolls._ "Of course it is." His thoughts flew to Mercer. "No one was giving you a hard time, were they?"

"No, nothing like that, I just thought I'd go back to my room and relax for a little while. Ya know, polish my medal," she bragged playfully, touching her pocket. "Plus, I've got lots of nights in the Village ahead of me. And…you two are the first nice guys I've met here." She waved her arm between Logan and Dick.

"Likewise," Logan carefully responded. "Though I'm pretty sure you're the first girl to ever refer to Dick as 'nice'." He turned back in the direction of the athlete housing. "Where to?"

"I'm just two buildings up," she said, beginning to walk in the direction she'd indicated. Logan fell into place next to her though, he noticed, Dick remained a few steps behind.

Logan silently nodded in thanks to his friend over his shoulder. He owed Dick…again. It was a strange feeling.

"This place is huge; this is as far as I've ventured," she admitted.

Logan was grateful for the conversation starter. "Yeah, I haven't gotten too far either. But, like you said, there's time."

They reached her building quickly and Dick begged off. "I'm gonna head back and run interference with Coach. Catch ya later!" he said as he disappeared into the night.

Logan followed Veronica, climbing the stairs up to her room.

"This is me," she said, stopping in front of room 212. "I would invite you in, but—"

"No, I really do need to go," he said, stepping closer to her instead of backing away like he knew that he should.

"That's too bad," she responded coyly, reaching up to run her hand along the Olympic rings that adorned his shirt and then pulling his mouth down to meet hers.

Logan responded instantly, his arms wrapping around her waist, his hands clasping together at the small of her back. When her arms snaked up his chest and around his neck, the kiss intensified until he almost asked if she would invite him in for real.

Veronica broke away first, and he kissed her nose gently as he pulled away also.

"I am _so_ sorry, I keep making you later than you already are," she said, looking anything but apologetic.

"Well, I'm sorry I have to go." He retreated two steps back in an effort to think clearly. "Goodnight, Veronica. Congratulations on gold today."

Against his better judgment, Logan took a few more steps backwards and then stopped. "So tomorrow's pretty busy with practice and all, but our next match is Monday."

"I don't envy the string-along. My one-and-done event is more my speed." She smiled up at him from where she leaned against her door.

Logan wondered if she was talking about more than shooting. "Well, we have a break after the match for a few days, so I'm sure the guys will want to let off some steam. We'll be at the club most likely." He anxiously ran a hand through his hair, tugging just a little bit. _Why is this so hard?_ "You could come…" _Argh, it's just getting worse the more I open my mouth._ "If you wanted to that is." _Turn and go, Echolls. Turn and go._

And he did. With a final, geeky wave, he turned and made his way back to the stairwell.

"Goodnight, Logan!" he heard her call as he reached the top stair, her voice causing him to linger momentarily. _Keep walking!_ He commanded himself. And, after a second's pause, he did just that.

_Two points for sensible Logan,_ he congratulated himself as he jogged back to his room _._

* * *

Veronica closed the door tightly and flipped the lock before leaning back against its hard surface for a long steadying breath. She'd been amazingly surprised by her competition this morning, and now then the evening had been unexpectedly eventful as well.

She took her time changing into her pajamas, carefully hanging up her jacket and medal on a hanger in the closet. She'd give them to her father for safekeeping tomorrow, but she'd wanted to keep them close tonight.

Veronica drowsily continued through her nightly routine, and had just climbed into bed when her phone buzzed. She momentarily chided herself for hoping it was Logan before she remembered she hadn't given him her number. She picked up her phone and smiled at the text from Lilly.

'I can't believe you left me alone tonight. I had nothing better to do than hook you up with a Tinder account and flag some hotties I found who I think have a lot of potential. Consider it.'

Veronica groaned at the thought of herself with a Tinder account and what Lilly would have put on it. She hopped out of bed and retrieved her laptop from the closet. But when she logged in, her first impulse wasn't to check her new hook-up account but rather to look up information on the US Water Polo team.

That she'd gotten more action than her gorgeous best friend for once empowered her. Forgetting the laptop, she instead tucked herself into bed to look over the pictures she'd taken that day. There were some of she with Lilly taken after the awards ceremony and several with her her dad. Veronica scrolled forward until she got to the pictures she'd taken with Logan and Dick at the bar. A smile ghosted her lips at them being silly. Veronica had to hand it to both guys; they'd both faked it well. No would ever guess that the shot was staged.

She sobered slightly at the sight of the last picture. The kissing picture. It was perfect, Veronica realized. She looked every bit the part of a young girl out partying in a club in Rio. Apart from the medal, it was a scene like ones Lilly had texted her during nights out partying. But it wasn't common for Veronica, and for once, it made her want to keep it to herself, to not share it with Lilly.

Veronica flipped a few pictures back to the silly shots and forwarded one to her friend with the message 'Olympic champion Marses don't need Tinder to have a good time. Say hello to the water polo team!'

Veronica knew that would go over well. Her phone rang immediately, but she sent it to voice mail, opting to send Lilly another text. 'Can't hear in this club. Will catch up with you later and fill you in.'

Lilly didn't need to know that she was tucked in for the night. _Let her wonder_ , Veronica thought. She flipped to the kissing picture one more time, reliving the feelings of his mouth on her neck, on her mouth. At the time she'd thought it was all a ruse.

_Don't get your hopes up, Veronica. No doubt he's kissed lots of girls, and you practically guilted him into it._ She face-palmed and groaned at the memory of that, embarrassed after the fact.

But then he'd come back…


	2. LoVe Night Two

**LoVe Night 2:**

Veronica spent most of the day running around Rio with her dad and Lilly's family. The Carnathans had purchased tickets for them all to see several competitions, and the group was enjoying the sights of Rio in between ticketed events. Lilly and Veronica spent the morning exploring Christ the Redeemer, and as evening fell, the group gathered together to watch men's gymnastics.

Lilly quietly groaned when Veronica pulled out her phone. "Enough already, Veronica Mars. You're so obvious!" Lilly huffed, snatching Veronica's phone out of her hands. "Mom, did you buy any tickets to water polo?" Lilly posed the question to her mother, but gave Veronica a knowing stare as she spoke the words, her mischievous eyes sparkling in silent challenge.

 _Lilly!_ Veronica's eyes chastised back. Thank goodness they'd been friends forever. This eye communication came in handy when their parents were nearby. She thought she'd been stealthy in her near obsessive checking of the water polo score, but apparently not so much.

"As a matter of fact we did, dear. I can't remember which day. Jake, which day was water polo?"

Veronica perked up at that, turning to Lilly's father with what she hoped was an expression of mild interest.

"I don't know," Jake replied, retrieving the phone from his pocket and tapping open the calendar. "Looks like that schedule is still pending." He shrugged, replacing his phone. "I know your mother wouldn't miss a chance to ogle young men in speedos, so we booked a lot of diving, swimming and one water polo."

Veronica watched Jake turn to Lilly with a crooked grin as he spoke, obviously taunting her for asking.

"Ew! Gross, Dad." Lilly cringed, making retching motions. "Mom, those guys are my age."

"I don't ogle young men, Jake," Celeste replied crisply, "but I'm not blind either." Her eyebrow raised as she spoke.

"Oh my god!" Lilly buried her face in her hands.

"Oh, Lilly, don't be a prude. Why else do you think your father bought himself and Keith all those beach volleyball tickets?" Celeste managed to keep her face straight, but Veronica saw a hint of a smile on the woman's mouth.

"Enough!" Lilly childishly stuck her fingers in her ears and proceeded to sing-song, "La-la-la."

Veronica laughed and pulled her best friend close. "Karma, Lilly," she whispered. "Now that you've gotten over your rebellious stage, it's their turn to stir the pot a little."

"I know," she replied with a roll of her eyes, "but I don't have to like it."

"You love it!"

"Maybe a little, but don't tell _them_ that!" Lilly relented with a wink. "It's nice that we all get along these days. It almost makes it a shame to leave for Vassar." Lilly tried to hold her face neutral, but a smile slowly made its way across her face. "Okay, not too much of a shame." She suddenly became serious. Her eyes began misting before she turned away. "I'll miss you the most, Veronica," she admitted.

Veronica knew just how her friend felt. "Me too," she admitted, leaning into Lilly, putting her head on her friend's shoulder. She sighed dramatically. "But we'll always have Rio," she mused.

Lilly nudged her, and Veronica knew a joke was coming. Lilly hated to show frailty. "So will you and the water polo team. Look at you go; out on the town… all independent. You're already off in the Village having your own adventures without me."

Veronica decided it was best to joke back. "Jealous?"

"Jealous, are you kidding? I'm proud!" Lilly protested. "And maybe a little jealous," she admitted after a moment and they both laughed. "Speaking of which," Lilly produced Veronica's phone and flashed the screen for her to see. "Your _friends_ just won."

Veronica popped back up to sitting and looked at the phone. The US had taken the match against Montenegro, 6-5.

"I did a little research," Lilly began cautiously, but Veronica could hear the excitement in her friend's tone.

"Of course you did!" Veronica laughed despite herself. "Do I even want to know?"

"Your polo friends are Dick Casablancas and Logan Echolls, both the sons of _very_ wealthy families," Lilly paused, and Veronica knew she was trying to gauge how much research Veronica had done herself. Which was quite a bit, but she wasn't going to admit it. At Veronica's silence, Lilly continued. "They went to Mater Dei High School together, along with half the team, which amongst other things, appears to practically be an Olympic training camp. God, talent night at that school…" Lilly shook her head, momentarily lost in thought.

"Well, keep going," Veronica prompted, bumping Lilly's leg with her own.

"Dick is all over social media. He seems like a partier. Logan is a little harder to track down socially. His father is—"

"Aaron Echolls, I know," Veronica admitted. "I didn't know it at the time, but you're not the only one who can Google, Lil."

"So it would seem," Lilly grinned, her eyes still trained on the athletes competing down on the floor. "Alas, I didn't see either of them on Tinder, but—"

 _Again with the Tinder!_ "Say no more. They already asked me to meet them at the club in the Village tonight. Logan did at least."

"Uh-huh! And was that before or after he kissed you?"

Damn Lilly and her all-knowing self. "After," Veronica said through a thinly veiled smile.

"Yes! I knew it!" Lilly covered her mouth with her hands to not attract their parents' attention.

Veronica decided that the cat was out of the bag, as per usual with Lilly. She opened her phone's pictures, skipped to the photo she'd kept to herself and handed it over to Lilly slyly. She heard Lilly's sharp intake of breath when she saw Veronica kissing Logan.

Veronica rolled her eyes when Lilly started shrieking like a twelve-year-old and dancing her feet on the concrete below them.

"What's going on down there?" Keith Mars leaned forward in his seat to peer at her and Lilly from the other side of Jake and Celeste.

Lilly clicked the phone off and handed it back to Veronica before she turned to Keith. "Michael Phelps won his twentieth gold," she lied evenly.

"Jake, I wanted to see—" Celeste started to say.

"Well, I told him to lose!" Jake scoffed in mock upset. "You'll see the next one, Celeste. We can't be everywhere at once."

"Well, the US tanked men's gymnastics, so I think I'll walk V back to the Village." Lilly stood up and pulled Veronica with her.

"Come on, honey," Keith interrupted. "Watch the end of the event with us."

Veronica opened her mouth to answer him, but Lilly jumped in. "Sheriff, I need a little time with her alone in Rio before I head off to college." Lilly turned on the charm, smiling innocently and fluttering her eyelashes. Keith never fell for Lilly's obvious attempts at manipulation, but he usually let her win anyway.

"Or Veronica could just bunk with us tonight and you can have all the girly time you'd like," he offered, his eyebrows raised as if he'd just had a Nobel-prize worthy idea.

"She needs to have fun, Sheriff," Lilly reminded him.

"Not too much fun! I read about an athlete sixsome on a village rooftop." Keith gave Veronica a hard stare.

Lilly's eyebrows rose, but it was Veronica who spoke up first, her voice sugary sweet and innocent. "An orgy you say? Which rooftop, pray tell? I mean I had a foursome on the top of my building last night, but I'd imagine that four more hands and two more…" Veronica raised her hands to gesture indelicately when Keith stopped her.

"Now I'm giving her ideas," he groaned with a shake of his head.

"Oh, she was friends with Lilly during 'the dark days'; I'm sure it's nothing new," Celeste guffawed.

It was hard to read Celeste and there was a moment's pause when everyone remained awkwardly silent.

Celeste cracked another smile right when Keith made a sweeping motion at the girls. "Go! Have fun!"

"Thanks, Dad!" Veronica blew him a kiss and let Lilly pull her away from their parents, through the arena and out into the night.

* * *

Logan was more nervous than usual at the start of dryland training. Rather than chat with the others, he left his headphones on and quickly went through all the normal regime of squats and lunges in time with the rest of the team. His muscles warmed up quickly and he moved on to some shoulder stretches. Coach Fennel had long since left Enbom, as captain, to take care of the dryland warm up. Logan liked it; the routine of it all.

He'd been angry for so many years and when his father had forced him into swimming, he'd used water polo as a rebellion. But that was before he'd realized that he loved it…and that he was good at it. The moment he'd gotten into Stanford, Logan had changed his attitude. Looking forward to getting away from Southern California, he'd turned himself around, making sure that nothing could jeopardize him getting away, both geographically and financially, from Aaron. Stanford was the first thing he'd earned all on his own.

He shook his thoughts away from Aaron and on to the task at hand, but then his thoughts flew to Veronica. Veronica Mars—he'd looked her up. Unlike his friends from crazy families, she seemed normal from everything he'd gathered online. Her social media accounts were set to private, so he hadn't learned much, but there was something there. At least for him there had been. She was so different. It had almost seemed like she hadn't known who he was in terms of Aaron's son. It was…refreshing. He—

"Echolls, quit your daydreaming and keep up with the rest." Enbom's voice boomed, echoing off the walls.

 _Whoops._ He quickly took note of what the team was doing and jumped into the exercise. _You'll have time to think about her later. Maybe see her later._ He liked that thought. And if she didn't show up at the club tonight, at least he knew where she was staying.

Logan turned just in time to see Vincent looking green. He pulled off his headphones and yelled, "Bucket!" and everyone sprung to action.

"Damn, Butters," Kane yelled, tossing an empty bucket to Gant who then passed it brigade-style down the line of athletes. "Stand next to the damn trashcan next time."

The bucket reached Butters just in time.

"Wouldn't be a meet if Butters didn't toss his cookies," Enbom laughed.

Coach Fennel walked in, looking fit to be tied. "I thought I said no drinking. None of you fools had better be hung over." Then he spotted Butters. "Clemmons, for fuck's sake," he grimaced, looking away and shaking his head. "I should have known. Get it all out now; it's time to go," Fennel commanded, walking out to the main pool.

"I'll be fine in a minute," Butters called after him.

And he _was_ fine. Butters had hit the pool like a force to be reckoned with; he blocked almost as many shots as Montenegro could fire. Everyone worked together; the passes were clean and shot after shot seemed to magically hit the goal.

Logan cheered on his team from the deck during breaks and played harder and faster than he ever had before. They didn't fall behind even once during the match.

When it was over, the guys showered quickly and changed, itching to get the party started. Hoots and hollers echoed through the locker room as plans were made as to where and when to meet up.

Logan ignored them all, changing quickly to get ahead of the bunch. He threw on his Beats headphones to block them all out.

"Hey, Echolls, you going to the club with us tonight?" Kane yelled, pulling one earphone away from Logan's head. "We're all meeting by the cafeteria in an hour."

Logan shrugged. "I'll see you inside. I'm meeting someone."

"What? How did you manage to meet someone when we've all been kept under lock and key?" Enbom shouted.

Logan just upped the volume on his headphones and grabbed his bag. _Let them all wonder_ , he thought, smiling to himself as he stalked out of the dressing room. _You've got better places to be right now, Echolls._

* * *

Veronica slowed her steps as she approached the doors of the club. She'd been determined to be cool about this, so she'd restricted the pacing and obsessing to her bedroom. Now that she was faced with the actual door of the club, the self-doubt was creeping back to the forefront of her mind.

She wished she had Lilly's gumption. Or maybe she just wished that she hadn't had so much to drink the other night. Perhaps if she hadn't been tipsy, she'd feel more able to read the situation she was in now. At the time she'd been swept up in the excitement of the day, and now…now she was feeling like she'd bugged him when he'd been trying to leave and then bullied him into a kiss—several kisses in fact.

She groaned and buried her face in her hands. There was no visor to adjust, and she certainly didn't want to sweat. She'd just taken a shower so she couldn't jog out her nervous energy. She tried to muster up the bravado of Veronica Mars, Olympic Champion, but that just embarrassed her more.

 _All right, Veronica. You're going to count down from five, and when you get to one, you're going to walk straight into the club. It's full of people. If he doesn't want to see you, he can ignore you; there are plenty of other fish in the sea._ She nodded resolutely, keeping her pace slow. _Here we go: five, four, three—_

"Ronnie?" A familiar voice cut through the dark night.

 _Two - There are tons of people around, and Ronnie isn't an unusual name_. _Right?_

"Ronnie!"

 _Wrong!_ She exhaled sharply, spun on her heal, and saw Dick Casablancas fifty yards away accompanied by—if her memory served—half of the US water polo team. She was disappointed that she didn't see Logan with them. _Fabulous,_ was her first reaction as she forced a welcoming smile to stretch across her face. _Though this does take care of that whole fear of walking into the club alone thing_ , she reminded herself.

Dick broke away from the group, approaching her at a slow trot, grinning ear to ear. His energy was contagious and Veronica found her forced smile becoming genuine. Dick was a bit of a doofus, but he seemed harmless enough. Veronica tightened up a little when Dick threw his arms around her and lifted her off the ground.

"Did you see the match, dude? We rocked it!" He spun her around once and then released her a bit, but with their height difference, he didn't seem to notice that her toes were barely on the ground. "Guys, this is Ronnie, she's the gold medal shooter I was telling you about. Check it out; she's like tiny, but lethal." He turned back to her, noticed her struggling to stand and released her to her feet. "I showed them all your gold medal shot of glory on Youtube."

"No way! I'm on Youtube?" All effort to be cool forgotten.

"Of course!" He turned her around to face the group. "So, guys, this is Ronnie—"

"Veronica," she corrected.

"Like I said," he rolled his eyes. "Ronnie," he gestured to the group, "this is the polo team. Enbom's a center, Kane's our goalkeeper, Butters and Gant are our defenders…" he pointed to someone out of her sight, "that charity case in the back is Weevil—"

A shaved head poked out from behind Enbom. "You mean me? The charity case that scored twice in the fourth quarter?" He shook his head, not seeming overly upset or surprised by Dick's comment. "I'm Eli Navarro; he forgets my real name too. Don't let these clowns fool you, they know who gets the work done around here." The team snickered and Enbom playfully shoved Navarro on top of his head.

"And that's all of you?" Veronica prompted. She was starting to get the distinct impression that Logan was avoiding her; he wasn't here with the team?

"That's it," Dick scratched his head; deep thinking was clearly an effort. "Everyone that matters, I mean," Dick said resolutely. "D'Amato is off somewhere getting laid by now, and you already know Echolls."

That got her attention, but she kept her voice nonchalant and her body loose. "Oh yeah, Logan. What's he up to tonight?" _That was good, right? Chill. Not too desperate?_ Veronica nodded slightly, proud of herself. _Nervous? Me? Pshaw!_

"Hey, Veronica." Logan's soft voice came from behind her—from the direction of the club. She, determined to remain calm, turned slowly to see him standing awkwardly behind her. He looked hot even in the dim light. His hands were jammed in his pockets and his weight kept switching from one foot to the other.

"Hi," she said, hating how shy she suddenly felt.

"So, is she in there?" Enbom asked Logan. At least Veronica thought it was Enbom; her eyes were trained on Logan. "The girl you wanted to—"

"Whoa there." It was Eli who spoke up. This time she was sure because of the accent. "Let's get inside. I don't know about the rest of you, but some hot divers did pretty well today, and I think they'd like some Latin flavor this evening."

"We're in Brazil, you moron, everyone's Latin down here," Dick called out.

Logan's eyes widened and then his jaw clenched. He gestured to Dick with a curt nod of his head, and Eli grabbed Dick by the arm and proceeded into the club, the group trailing behind him. Veronica hadn't miss Logan's nod of gratitude to Eli as they passed.

"I've never met those guys in my life," he swore vehemently, fingers up in a Boy Scout solute.

Veronica laughed but didn't say anything for a moment. Never one for awkward silences, she said the first thing that popped into her head. "So you rocked the match?"

Logan finally looked up at her, his eyes animated. "Yeah, it was amazing. We came together and it was like…"

"Magic?" she suggested, knowing the feeling well.

"Yeah," he exhaled, "magic." He reached up to fiddle with the neck of his shirt and then realized what he was doing and dropped it.

She decided to lay everything out on the table. "Why is this so weird?"

He laughed and looked back down at his still shuffling feet. "No idea."

She liked being on the offensive. "So, did you find the girl you were looking for?" she asked coyly, stepping closer to him.

"She wasn't inside," he hedged, glancing up at her. His lips were pursed in a smirk that he was trying—and failing—to hide.

"No?" Veronica ventured, taking another step closer to him. "Well, people say I'm good at figuring things out. In high school I found all these missing dogs and made my sheriff father arrest like half of the animal control employees. Maybe I could help."

His eyes lit up at that. "So you're like a teen private eye? That's adorable."

"Not anything as grand as that. I just grew up with cops; I guess some of it rubbed off." _Be bold, Veronica. No regrets for holding back in Rio._ "Do you maybe want to take a walk? You can describe this mystery girl you're after and maybe I can help you track her down."

He let out a soft chuckle and reached out for her hand. "Sounds nice."

Veronica knew that she could never ever tell Lilly, for fear of being laughed at, but she swore that sparks flew between them the moment her hand touched his. He led her down a path, gently rubbing circles on her palm with his thumb as they walked.

They continued to walk until they reached a building and he gently led her up the front staircase until they reached a door that said ' _Terraço_ '. Veronica paused for a moment. _Oh god, it's the roof. There'd better not be two other couples up there waiting._ But she was too intrigued to stop now.

The rooftop terrace was thankfully deserted, and he led her over to the ledge and leaned against it, their hands still connected. The view of the lake was amazing. Again, the sparks between them made her feel bold. "So, when looking for a missing person, first it's best to start with a general physical description," she informed him. She kept her voice serious, but couldn't help but infuse her voice with flirtation.

Logan looked down at her, his features illuminated in the moonlight. He was beautiful. Veronica blushed at the direction of her thoughts and momentarily looked away. When she looked back up at him he was drumming the fingers of his free hand on his chin as if deep in thought. "Hmm...let's see here. Well, she's blonde…petite—smelled of marshmallows and tequila."

Veronica squinched up her mouth. "Petite, blonde and a drinker? Sounds like a recipe for bad decisions."

He gasped in mock horror. "She was celebrating! You can't judge my mystery woman!"

"I can't? I remember promising no such thing." She laughed and then sighed dramatically. "Fine, so a short boozer, huh?"

"She _did_ down my shot without asking!" he admitted sternly.

Veronica raised her eyebrows. "Horrors! Are you sure you want to find this girl? I mean next you'll tell me that she bullied you into a kiss."

"Bullied?" He looked genuinely surprised. "I thought I kind of stole the kiss. The first one at least. Though there is photographic evidence we may be able to consult later…for research purposes, of course."

"Oh, of course." She looked up at him and the sincere look on his face took her breath away. _Does he really not think I threw myself at him?_ She liked that.

"Was it a good kiss at least?" she asked, boldly looking him in the eye. "I mean if we're going to all this trouble…"

"I thought so. Again, there could be a way we could collect some evidence…" He tugged on her hand and pulled her into him. A shiver ran up her spine and he let go of her hand to rub his hands up and down her arms. "Cold?"

Veronica shook her head, reaching up on her tiptoes to meet him halfway.

* * *

Logan bent down slightly until their lips met. It was as electrifying as their kisses the other night had been. Her hands wrapped around his collar, digging into his neck, and Logan pulled her full against him, eliciting a small, sweet gasp from her, which only urged him on further. His arms wrapped around the small of her back, locking together to ensure contact. He was drowning in her. Time ceased to pass and all conscious thought was stilted. It wasn't until Veronica pulled away slightly that he realized he needed oxygen.

"Yeah, that's pretty much how I remember it," she panted with a soft, breathy laugh.

Logan smirked down at her, unable to put thoughts together beyond "more" and "closer". He set his forehead on hers and nodded, waiting for blood to reach his brain.

"This is…unexpected." Her voice was tentative, but her look was still intense and her features flushed from their kiss. "Unless kissing you makes all girls go weak at the knees." As soon as she spoke the words, he could tell she regretted them. She pulled away and took a step back, her eyes focused over his shoulder at the view.

Surprised at how empty he felt with the loss of contact, he managed to mumble, "Very unexpected," as he concentrated on resisting the urge to pull her back.

"So I guess just me and the mystery girl, then." She winked at him, smiling sweetly before walking to the other end of the terrace. He followed after her slowly, taking in the view over the pools and the main village yard.

He decided to take a chance and stepped up close behind her, sliding his arms around her waist. She rested back against him before he had to initiate further, which made him feel warm and tingly all over. She put her arms on top of his and clasped their hands together. He tucked her head under his chin and just relaxed for a moment.

"This feels…strange," she said, giving him pause.

"I think this feels amazing," he countered, cocking his head to see her face.

She kept her eyes on the view, on purpose, he suspected. "Oh, don't get me wrong, this is better than amazing. But, at the risk of seeming sappy, I've never felt this close to someone that I just met." She peeked up at him quickly with a smile, and then looked down at their arms. "I don't know anything about you."

Logan did his best not to tense up. In some ways, he felt the same way—he wanted to know everything about her. He couldn't remember the last time he'd thought so much about someone. Especially someone he'd just met. He'd been surprised earlier when he'd realized he wanted her to be at the match; she was the first one he wanted to tell that they'd won. It had bothered him that he didn't have her number, so he'd rushed to the club to find her. As much as he wanted to get to know her, this experience was refreshing. Most girls he met already knew all about him; they treated him like a trophy. "Ask away. Ask anything you'd like," he said tentatively, hoping she wouldn't ask about his father or—even worse—about his mother…her death.

He saw a smirk catch her mouth as she started into the distance. "Well, all I know is your name and that you play water polo at some Olympic training center of a high school." She turned around and leaned against the ledge behind her.

Logan, not knowing what to do, tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "That's not a question."

"Okay…" she paused, thinking. Then her eyes lit up. "Do you have any pets?"

Logan was slightly taken aback. A pet? He honestly couldn't remember the last time anyone wanted to get to know him. He liked it too.

"No pets." He could feel his lopsided grin.

"No pets?" She sounded utterly horrified. "None ever?"

"Not unless you count my mom's alpaca, Bob. Wonder what ever happened to him." Logan didn't wonder what happened to him, but he wasn't going to say that.

"You LA weirdos. No one has an alpaca! I meant like a dog or a cat—a lizard or something."

Logan just shook his head.

"You want to ask me anything?" she prompted.

"Do _you_ have any pets?"

That lit her face up. "I have a pit bull named Backup. He runs with me...we go on adventures, he sleeps on my bed..."

 _I'm envious of a dog!_ "Pit bull, huh? Unconventional choice assuming you don't live in Oakland."

She shook her head and laughed at that. "No, no. My dad works long hours, so Backup and I are together a lot, just the two of us. My dad liked the idea of an intimidating dog with me, but he's mostly just a giant cuddle bug."

 _Still envious of a dog,_ he thought. _No mention of a mother there. Something we have in common?_ He didn't want to get into that right now. "Next question."

Veronica stepped around him and settled herself on a padded lounge chair. "Is Dick your best friend?" She sounded skeptical. "You two seem…different."

Logan followed her to the chair. There were others he could use, but the one she was on was wide enough for them both. He lay down next to where she sat, throwing her what he hoped was an inviting smile as he tucked his hands behind his head. She grinned and followed suit, resting her head on his elbow.

"When I was a kid, I was best friends with Duncan Kane. You just met him in front of the club. But things evolved over the years. I'm closer to Dick now, I suppose, though I've known him forever too. I used to be a lot more like him—more of a partier—but lately I've been trying to rein it in. Dick's…surprisingly loyal, which is important to me."

"I know what you mean. My best friend, Lilly—the one I took the picture for—she got a little wild for my taste a few years ago. It was hard to watch her be so reckless sometimes, but she's come full circle; we've gotten closer again. She even came here with me. There's nothing like the friends you've known your whole life." She sighed. "I wish we could see more stars."

"Light pollution. Just like home," he mused.

"Your question," she encouraged, turning to face him and tapping his thigh with her bent knee.

Her leg on his made it hard to think again. "You can have my turn."

"What makes you the happiest?" she asked, eyebrows raised, her smile bright.

He laughed-choked at that and she gave him a playful punch. "No, not sex," she chastised with an obviously forced frown. "Something serious!"

Logan rolled his eyes, doing his best to look put out. "Okay, fine," he sighed. He thought for a moment. "As trite as it sounds—next to sex, of course—water polo makes me the happiest." Logan turned on his side to face her as well. "Growing up—" He wanted to explain it without getting into his shitty past "—I wasn't raised to be a team player." _There, that's more diplomatic_. He swallowed hard when Veronica reached out and touched his arm comfortingly. "So I tried water polo because it wasn't what was expected of me, and as much as I love the game, just being on the team—working closely with a group of guys who are so focused—it's amazing." He gave her a smug grin. "Plus, we kick ass!"

"I can't wait to see you play!" Veronica reached forward and gave him a chaste kiss on the side of the mouth. He wanted to kiss her back, but he was kind of enjoying this 'getting to know you' moment.

"Me too. I love it. And second to sex, it's my favorite thing," he couldn't resist adding, reaching out to brush some hair off her forehead.

"Well, if kissing you is any indication…" she trailed off, and made a fanning motion, "I'd say you're pretty good at it too. But I usually make a guy at least share a meal with me first."

"You hungry? All night cafeteria!"

She giggled and shook her head slightly. "You're incorrigible."

"Soon," he promised. "So, you…why shooting?" he asked when she pulled back.

"Shooting just sort of happened. I didn't even know it was a thing until a few years ago. My dad's the sheriff, so I've always been around guns. My school had archery, but I wasn't interested, so my dad got an air rifle to play around with, and I turned out to be a natural." Her eyes got a faraway look in them as she rolled onto her back. "At first it was all fun and games, but then when you really get into it—the science of it—it's fascinating." She smiled up into the night sky. "When I get into the groove, I feel this—I dunno—spark that starts in my stomach and slowly spreads throughout my chest." She closed her eyes. "And then I zero in on my target and arch my back a bit, and my breathing stops—the whole world disappears and my whole body starts to tingle…"

The look on her face, the way the moonlight brightened her skin…her words. Logan reached out and turned her face toward him so that he could kiss her again. She exhaled softly, opening her mouth, allowing him to kiss her more deeply. He shifted, pulling the knee that was on his thigh up higher, his hand sliding until it reached her ass.

Veronica followed his lead, rolling toward him further. His hands reflexively moved to grasp her waist, adjusting her so that she settled atop him and then grinding their hips together until she took over the rhythm on her own. Logan reached up to push her hair back and away from her face so that he could work his lips across her jawline and find the place that had elicited a strong response from her when they'd kissed the first time.

He knew the instant he found it because she gasped loudly and turned until her mouth found his again. Desperate to feel more of her, Logan reached down with one hand and pushed Veronica's shirt up far enough that he could touch the skin of her back. He ran his fingers up her bare side and smiled against her lips when he felt her shiver and goosebumps raise on her flesh. She was as soft as he'd imagined she'd be. And he was lost. With one hand, he reached up and released the clasp of her bra, letting it fall forward against her shirt as he slid his hands up the front of her ribcage until he reached the lower curve of her breasts.

He paused briefly, giving her a chance to protest, and when she didn't, he allowed himself to explore her breasts, letting their soft fullness fill his hands, brushing her nipples with his fingertips. He was contemplating flipping them both over when he heard her voice.

"Where's your room?" she questioned him between kisses, sounding as intoxicated with passion as he was.

"What?" he murmured, grasping her waist again so he had better access to her neck.

"Your room, Logan," she repeated. "Because unless you barricaded the door…"

She was right. Anyone could walk in on them at any time. "Fourth floor," he managed, "but…are you sure?"

She pulled her head back from his and nodded drunkenly with a smile. "Yes," she said simply.

He, gaining a hold on reality, reached up to capture her face with his hands. "But I thought…dinner."

She smiled knowingly at him. "Breakfast instead?" she asked coyly, tilting her head to one side slightly.

Logan clasped her bra and then carefully slid himself out from under her, sure he'd agree to anything right now. He stood up on unsteady legs and held a hand out to her. "Breakfast," he agreed. "It's a date."

She sat up and adjusted her bra and shirt before taking his hand and letting him lead her back down the stairs, stopping at each landing to kiss and twirl her. When they reached the fourth floor, Logan opened the door only partially and peeked his head out into the hallway.

"Why are we being stealthy?" she whispered from next to him, having opened the door fully.

He laughed. "I don't know," he whispered back, feeling silly. He tugged her to him for one last kiss before leading her to his room. He paused one last time at the door, giving her a chance to change her mind.

"This is me," he said, unlocking the door and pulling her in the room and shutting and locking it behind him. _Thank god I'm neat_ , he thought. He'd never worried about it before, but now he was grateful. Enough light came through the open window that he didn't need to flip on the switch. He turned back toward her, suddenly nervous. "Fully barricaded, _mon petit_."

"Great!" She smiled and there was that head tilt again. "Now where were we?" She stepped forward to pull his shirt up over his stomach; he bent over allowing her to tug it up over his head. Her hands ran down his chest and abs, he clasped them just before she reached his pants and brought her hands to his lips. He then held her hands up, squeezing to indicate she should keep them there, and then he let his fingers trail up her sides as he removed her shirt and finally her bra. Logan's pulse sped, he pulled her to him and they kissed their way over to the bed, pulling and tugging at each other, the rest of their clothes discarded haphazardly on the floor in their wake.

When they got to the bed, Logan brushed a bit of hair behind Veronica's ear and traced his fingertips down her neck, over her collarbone and to her breasts. He danced circles around her nipples and then continued to her hips, landing on her inner thigh with a playful, gentle squeeze. She smiled at him before he leaned down to kiss her center. Logan tasted her and found himself overcome with need as he watched Veronica's body relax and open further to him. Her breath came in little fits as her hands gripped at the sheets and then his head. He let her direct his movements and relished the way her body tensed and vibrated in pleasure. Logan gentled his strokes and kissed his way up her stomach and slowly moved up her body until they were face to face..

"Did your welcome package come as _prepared_ as mine did?" she asked, still breathless and flushed, nodding toward his bedside table.

He nodded and grabbed the strip of condoms from the drawer where he tossed them upon his arrival. He tore one off, tossed the rest on the bedside table, and deftly took care of himself before returning to her.

"Someone's feeling lucky." She laughed. "Lay down, Casanova." She made room by turning onto her hip and then rolled on top of him, her ass on his pelvis, lightly grazing him, sending shivers up his spine. "I'd like to test out this whole 'polo players going deeper' theory," she said with a wink.

"As you wish." Logan gripped her hips, guiding her forward and then slowly back until he felt her center giving way to him. He lifted his hips and pulled her down, filling her as deeply as her body allowed.

"Oh god!" Veronica's body shuddered around him for a few moments, her hands clenching on his chest. The slim line of her throat bobbed as she swallowed, and released a low moan.

Logan used his hold on her hips to gently rotate her hips. "As promised?"

"Better." Veronica's hands moved to intertwine with Logan's and she started to move. "So much better…"

* * *

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

Logan awoke to a thumping on his door. He couldn't quite place it, but when it happened again, louder, a vision of Aaron flashed through his head and he shot up to sitting with a sharp gasp. Beside him, Veronica did the same, a look of panic in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" she panted, looking around frantically, still mostly asleep.

He felt terrible. "Shh." He eased her back down onto the bed and tucked her against him. "Shh…sorry. S'okay," he whispered into her hair. "Everything's fine." He gently played with Veronica's hair until her breathing and heartbeat returned to normal as she fell back into full sleep.

She'd stayed! And she felt so good tucked under his chin, her head on his bare chest. Damn Aaron for intruding on this moment. He closed his eyes again and willed himself to fall back asleep for a little while longer. But then the reason for the intrusion made itself clear once again.

_Bang! Bang, Bang!_

Logan groaned. _What time is it?_ He tipped his arm back and collected his phone from the bedside table. _Crap._ 11:45 a.m. He saw seven missed texts and four missed calls. 11:30 a.m. had sounded like sleeping in at the time he'd agreed to it before the match yesterday. He was supposed to go running with the team.

"I know you're in there. I used 'Find My Friend'." It was Dick's voice through the door. That, at least, was a relief. Dick could sometimes keep his mouth shut. And he liked Veronica.

Logan slid out from beneath Veronica carefully, trying to let her sleep. He slid her bra and boyshorts under the bed with his foot and then made his way to the door, stopping to grab the boxers he'd discarded last night on his way.

"Logan!" Veronica whisper-hissed from behind him before he got there. "Don't open that. I'm—"

"I'm coming," he called in the general direction of the door before he turned back to the bed. "It's okay. Just stay there," he cautioned with a smile. She really was freaked out; it was kind of sweet.

"But he'll see me! He'll…" She was fighting to come up with the right words as she secured the sheet chastely around her chest.

He crossed back and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Relax, it's okay."

"Right. You're a hot water polo player; this isn't anything new for you."

Her tone gave him momentary pause. "It's not new, but it certainly hasn't happened in a while." Logan gave her a brief smile and then he crossed to the door in three quick strides, opening it only enough to poke his head through. "Dick," he stated, squinting at the onslaught of light from the hallway.

"Dude, you're late. Not cool, man. It was your idea. You promised—"

"Yeah, I…overslept. I'll be down in a minute." There was a pause that Logan didn't like, especially based on Veronica's reaction.

"Wait. She's here, isn't she?" Dick asked, trying to push the door open farther.

Logan held the door steady, resisting the urge to pound his head against it…or Dick's head. Both seemed equally enticing at the moment. "Just go, Dick. I'll meet you downstairs in ten." He reached through the door and firmly pushed Dick back a step.

"Cool, okay. See ya in ten, brother." Dick turned to go and then spun back. "Mornin', Ronnie," he said with a grin and took off down the hall.

Logan laughed at that. Dick wouldn't tell. At least not right now. He turned back into the room and playfully shut the door with his heel behind him. He nervously did a quick snap-clap motion with his hands and then decided not to let the moment be awkward.

"Dick won't talk; he's our biggest fangirl," he assured her, crossing the room to sit beside her on the bed.

She flopped back onto the bed and covered her eyes with her forearm. "I guess it doesn't matter, I was just…surprised."

He gently reached down and pulled her arm off of her face, kissing her lips gently. "Me too. I slept right through my alarm."

"Well, that's less of a surprise; we didn't sleep much last night at all." When she spoke the words, her cheeks reddened.

"You're cute when you blush," he said, reaching out to tap her nose. "I'm sorry I've gotta go. I'd love to just lay here with you all day." He bent over to retrieve her clothes and placed them on the bed next to her, and then an idea struck him. "You interested in running three ten-minute miles with us?" he asked hopefully. She was obviously fit, and he wasn't ready to let go yet. "It's just go get our muscles stretched before practice at three and then…I still owe you breakfast."

Veronica smiled at him, and he forgot what he'd been saying.

"As much fun as running in ninety degree weather sounds, I'm meeting my dad and friends for lunch later." She looked past him at the clock. "Well, now really," she corrected with a grin. "We have tickets for…something today."

"Well, we could meet for dinner tonight? My match tomorrow isn't till the afternoon."

"I've got plans all day," she said, sliding past him, up to standing and then pulling on her clothes.

"Okay, well, I'm sure we'll go back to the club after the match tomorrow night," he said with a grin. "I could pick you up."

"Yeah, maybe," she said distractedly while pulling on her jeans.

 _Whoa, why does this feel like a one-way street?_ "Veronica, I'm trying here."

"I know." She stopped turning her shirt right side in and exhaled. "You're right. I'm sorry. I'm just…this is all new for me…meeting guys in clubs…making out on rooftops. It all seems surreal."

He pulled her down for a brief kiss and then got up as well, tossing off his boxers and exchanging them for runderwear and throwing running shorts on over them. "I'm not a player, Veronica. This isn't some momentary thing, I—"

She reached out and touched his arm, a gentle smile on her lips. She looked relieved.

Logan pulled on a running shirt and pulled her against him, leaning down to kiss her passionately. "I want to see you again."

"Me too," she whispered, pressing their foreheads together.

"So tomorrow night? After my match?" he prompted. "You could come, you know."

"We might have tickets, actually," she said hopefully. "I'm not sure what the plan is."

"Great, so I'll see you tomorrow? If I don't see you at the game, I'll pick you up?"

She nodded as she righted her clothes and then ran her fingers through her hair. "Time for the walk of shame!"

"It's not a walk of shame if I walk you back to your room," he suggested, tugging on his bright orange Saucony running shoes and tying them up.

When he returned to standing, she reached up and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "I really do have to run, Logan," she said, making her way to the door. He followed her. "Tomorrow. I'll see you tomorrow."

He followed her out into the hallway and grabbed her arm when she started walking the long way down the hall.

"It's this way," he indicated, pointing left.

"I'd rather not walk down and come face-to-face with the whole US Olympic water polo team, thank you very much," she joked, planting another quick kiss on his lips before walking away from him.

"Tomorrow night," he called after her.

She waved from over her shoulder and then partially turned to give him one last smile before she turned down another wing of the building.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I can't believe that before I started writing this chapter I was worried it'd be too short!
> 
> I went rogue with the event schedule in Rio because it made my life easier - and there are way too many water polo games for me to work with. Since this is almost totally AU, I also had fun playing with Jake and Celeste...making them a bit more easy going in their Northern California lives (far from of Neptune) and imagining how relationships could have evolved if Lilly had lived to move past her wild high school behavior. Plus, how else could Veronica afford to see fun events in Rio? :)
> 
> Thanks, as always, to kmd0107 who has been amazingly supportive throughout the past (several!) difficult months, both on and off the page. And thanks to my husband - or V would have 'special' media accounts instead of social ones!


	3. LoVe Nights Three & Four

LoVe Night 3:

Veronica scanned the club when she entered. It was more crowded than she'd ever seen it before and humid as hell, with patrons practically shoulder-to-shoulder. She headed over to the seat by the table where she'd met Logan for the first time and situated herself so that she was facing the door.

Trouble back home had kept her from meeting with him as planned, and now she could only hope that he'd gotten the note she'd slid under his door and that he would come tonight. A steady stream of traffic filed through the door, and Veronica moaned in frustration. It would be impossible to find anyone in the crush, no matter how tall he was. And she'd be even harder for him to find. _If he's even coming._

_Maybe I should try his room, after all. Someone in this Village must have his phone number!_

She reached into her back pocket and retrieved her iPhone. Looking down at her phone, Veronica wished, not for the first time these past few days, that she'd thought of getting Logan's number. The night they'd met it had seemed premature, and the second night it had seemed awkwardly impersonal to ask for it after the intimacy they'd shared. Seeing no new notifications, she switched it to vibrate and pocketed it again. She'd have a better chance feeling a call than hearing one, and she wanted to know when her dad landed in San Francisco.

A shout-speak came from her right. "Hey, Veronica."

She turned to look at the speaker, annoyed that she'd been so lost in thought that she hadn't heard someone approach her and sit down. Veronica took in the dark-haired guy who had taken the seat she'd reserved for Logan. Outwardly he was handsome, but there was a definite creep factor. _How does he knows my name?_

"Hey." She made sure her tone was polite despite her volume, but she kept her vibe closed off. She wasn't interested in chatting it up with anyone new. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"It's me. Mercer," he said dramatically spreading his arms.

Veronica stared blankly at him.

His arms dropped and he rolled his eyes. "From Tinder," he said, raising his eyebrows like he was speaking to a child. "We messaged the other night….wrestler…"

 _Lilly!_ Veronica's hand automatically reached down her pocket again, but then she remembered that she hadn't yet even downloaded the hook-up app to see what Lilly had done on there. _This is so like her._

"Remember me now?" he questioned, inching closer to her and leaning in. His tongue flicked out, moistening his lips.

She smiled tightly at the slimeball— _what kind of a name is Mercer?_ —and then slid away from him in her seat a little bit. "If I have a Tinder account, I've never seen it; it must have been my friend from home."

He looked like he didn't believe her, but then he shrugged as if it didn't matter. "Well, I guess it was meant to be, then, that we're both here tonight." He reached out and stroked her arm, causing her to shudder. His smile turned to a leer when she shifted away.

 _Not so much. To Logan's room it is,_ she decided. But she didn't want to leave and have this guy follow her. "Actually I'm heading out," she said loudly as she stood up. "I'm meeting some friends. I'm going to go see what's holding them up." She offered him a smile that was more a baring of her teeth. "Next time you see me on Tinder, tell Lilly I said hi."

His hand clamped tightly on her arm, pulling her back down to sitting. "Hey, don't go." He nodded his head the direction of the bartender. "Just let me buy you one drink."

The scuff of a chair accompanied by the heavy weight of an arm dropping onto her shoulders made Veronica jump with a gasp.

"There you are! Where ya been, girl? I've been looking all over for you." She turned and looked up into the face of—

"Weevil." Mercer practically spat the word, his voice laced with ire.

"Hayes." Eli's eyes locked on Mercer's in silent challenge.

"I take it you two don't need an introduction," Veronica said, leaning in to Weevil a little bit to keep up the ruse.

Their response was a chorus of feigned disinterest. "No."

Weevil took a sip of his beer and Veronica giggled nervously despite herself at the awkwardness of the moment.

"Heard you boys almost lost today," Mercer said, leaning into Weevil's personal space.

"I heard you didn't make it past qualifications," Eli countered, his tone bored and unconcerned as he looked at the table.

Mercer, on the other hand, looked ready to pounce. But after a second of tense silence, he stood up instead. "I didn't realize that this was the friend you were meeting. I'll see you around, Veronica." With that, Mercer slid off his chair and turned away from the bar, disappearing into the deluge of bodies in the club.

"Thanks," Veronica told Weevil, leaning in farther to give him an appreciative hug.

Weevil received the hug stiffly and then immediately removed his arm from her shoulders. "No problem. That guy's bad news." He leaned back in his seat, looking more comfortable—more like the guy she'd met outside the club days earlier. He even smiled. "Your boy's on his way. I can sit here with you till he gets here."

"I'd like that, but first I have a phone call to make. I'll see you in a bit." Veronica stood up from the table and crossed the club to the front door. She kept an eye out for Logan as she made her way to the door, but once outside, things weren't much quieter. This was the party she'd been looking for after her win… _a week too late_. She turned sideways to make her way through a group of rowdy athletes, found a bench outside the cafeteria and pulled out her phone. Lilly answered on the first ring.

" _Hey, beautiful, did he not show?"_

"Not yet, no, Lil. But ya know who did? Mercer!"

" _What's a Mercer?"_

"Tinder Mercer, Lilly. Ring any bells? I want that account taken down."

" _Ah, yes, the wrestler."_ Lilly sounded proud. " _I remember him. He had shirtless pics that were to die for."_

It was just like Lilly to miss the point entirely. "He just accosted me in a club thinking I'd been flirting with him online." Veronica buried her face in her hand.

" _Veronica, I talked to him the day I set the account up. Before you even won gold. He's old news; send him on his way._ "

"I did, but that's only part of the problem. My dad's position…he's an elected official. Even if I wanted to hook up, I couldn't do it on Tin—"

" _Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I just thought it might help you meet someone._ "

"I already met someone. And all on my own!"

" _I'll take care of it. I know it's been a tough few days with your dad, but you need to relax a little—get out there and find your boytoy."_

"He's not here yet." Veronica turned on the bench to see Mercer, however. He was walking toward her. _Shit, this guy can't take a hint._ "Listen, Lil, I gotta go take care of the mess _you_ made. Delete the account, _now_. I'll see you tomorrow." She ended the call without waiting for Lilly's response. Instead of risking Mercer accosting her away from the crowd, Veronica got up and walked straight for him. She wished that security hadn't confiscated her pepper spray on her first day here. At the moment it seemed more important than the condoms they'd supplied her with. When she reached him his eyes gave her body a creepy slow check that lingered too long. _Putz._

"Hi again," he said, stepping too close for comfort. "I saw you leave, and I'm not surprised. No way you'd be with a guy like him…he's a scholarship kid from _Chino_ for fuck sake." Mercer rolled his eyes and did a fake shiver.

Veronica hated people with entitlement issues. Everyone always thought she was rich because of her hometown, but the truth was that the house they lived in was tiny…and rented. "If this is your idea of convincing me that you're a better catch, you're doing a pretty shitty job. I'm sorry if I wasn't direct enough in there," she nodded toward the club, "but let me rectify that right now. I'm not interested."

Mercer scoffed, clearly affronted, and grabbed her arm again. "Wow, you're a real bitch, you know that? I'd be the best you ever had, but thanks for not making me waste an hour in the club listening to you yammer." He released her arm after squeezing tightly, spun on his heel and headed in the opposite direction.

Veronica, flustered and still fired up, blinked a few times, letting herself feel the myriad of emotions flowing through her. Her dad would be impressed at how she'd handled herself—and truthfully, _she_ was proud of herself, but it still bothered her. Her hands shook slightly and she decided she needed a moment to compose herself before going back inside the club. The night air would help, so she took a few steps backward, making her way over to the semi-secluded bench she'd recently vacated.

Her body met with a hard solid surface, and Veronica gasped when strong arms closed around her.

"No!" she warned, turning around to see Logan, wide-eyed, his arms shot up in an innocent gesture.

Veronica softened at the welcome sight of his warm brown eyes. It was crazy how drawn she was to him; they'd just met and yet she was beyond pretending that she didn't miss him. Veronica threw herself into his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist, losing herself in the scent of him…the feel of him. He felt safe. He returned the embrace, causing her to smile genuinely for the first time that day.

"You okay?" he asked quietly. "You seem…"

"Better now that you're here," she sighed, reaching up on tiptoes to kiss him on the lips and then holding him tightly to her again.

"I got your note," he said gently into her hair.

His breath so soft and close to her ear made her shiver, and she naturally fell into their familiar rhythm. "Note?" she flirted, biting her lower lip as if contemplating his words.

"Yeah, um…something addressed to 'Sexy Water Polo Player'," he prompted with a goofy, boyish smile.

"Oh _that_ note," she gasped and offered a lopsided grin. "You didn't think—" Feigning embarrassment, Veronica covered her mouth with her hand and then twisted her torso around to face where his teammates stood a few feet from them before turning back to Logan. "That was for Dick." She indicated over her shoulder with her thumb.

He laughed out loud and kissed the tip of her nose. "Very cute!"

Veronica finally felt herself relax. "But seriously, folks, I'm sorry I missed our date."

"Veronica, it's fine. I mean, I was disappointed, but you're here now."

Veronica was torn between being sad she'd disappointed him and being elated that he cared enough about seeing her to be disappointed. And she really did want to explain. "There was…an accident back home…one of the deputies. I had to help arrange for my father to head back in a hurry. His plane didn't take off till late last night, so I spent yesterday with him before he left."

"Sounds like you had a rough few days," he said comfortingly, reaching to push a strand of hair off of her face.

"You too; sorry you had a rough game." He frowned and, though he was still holding her tightly, he looked off into the distance.

"It happens. At least we didn't lose. It was close, but we squeaked through in the end. We've still got one more," he said distractedly. "I just have to make sure I get my head in the game. Not get ruffled by it and focus."

"Like right now?" She smiled when he turned his attention back to her. "Because I was kind of hoping we could take a night off from real life. Ya know, have a little fun."

His face darkened at that, and he leaned down for a kiss, which deepened instantly. Veronica fought to keep control of her senses. _What is it about him?_

"I'm in, but I need to spend some time with the guys too," he said as he pulled away.

Veronica turned in his arms to see his teammates studying them closely. Veronica swallowed back her disappointment, feeling silly. Of course he needed to spend time with the guys. "Yeah, I totally get it. We could meet up later, or—"

"Are you two done with kissy time?" One of the guys chastised playfully. "Let's go inside already."

Logan let go of her to join his friends, giving Enbom a shove, and play-punching Dick in the stomach. In high school, typical boy-team camaraderie had made her a little sick to her stomach, but she found herself laughing and smiling despite herself. Rio really was magical.

It was Dick who spoke up next. "Ronnie-kins, I'm getting old here. Ya comin' or not?" he shouted.

Logan turned toward her too, his eyebrows raised as if he was surprised she was still standing there. He lifted his arm in a 'come hither' motion and nodded expectantly.

 _There's no way this is happening. There's no way the US men's water polo team is offering to party with me. This must be someone else's life,_ Veronica thought, reaching out to take Logan's hand only to have Dick place a hand on each shoulder blade and push her through the crowd. Veronica laughed as they entered the club, being pulled by Logan in the front and pushed by Dick from behind, enjoying the fun, knowing that any minute she'd wake up and this would all be a dream.

* * *

Logan leaned over the bathroom sink and splashed water on his face, taking his time and trying to sober up a little. He wasn't drunk, but he was tipsy enough to be impulsive, and that wasn't a recipe for good decision-making. The group had danced the evening away, and now it was after midnight. They'd switched venues and calmed things down a bit at a quieter bar, but practice was only eight hours away. It was time to order some more food and switch to water.

He tore a paper towel from the dispenser and made a plan. Logan had promised himself he wouldn't stay out too late tonight, but he was having a great time hanging out with Veronica and the guys. Everyone was getting along so well. When he'd left her a moment ago she'd been kicking Butters' ass at pool.

Logan was drying his hands when Weevil walked in. "Damn, your girl is a shark, Echolls. I think she hustled a fifty off of Butters already, and now she's sinking her teeth into Dick. You'd probably better go hold his hand; he's in for a surprise."

That made Logan smile. Soon they'd all be off to different colleges around the country, but that only made these moments that much more special.

"Our ol' pal, Hayes, was bugging her before you boys arrived. Had his hands on her. I think I put him in his place, but you might want to let her know to watch her back."

Logan grunted as a wave of possessiveness washed through him. He didn't like the idea of anyone touching her, let alone Mercer. He curbed his first impulse, to find and kick his old rival's face in. Of course he would warn her about Mercer, but he wasn't sure what right he had to discuss other guys with her. This was Rio…he was off to Stanford after the final game. She was on her own path as well. No matter how special this felt, it wouldn't do to dwell on a Rio hook-up. Even though it didn't feel like a simple hook up at all. He hadn't felt like this. Logan physically shook his head to dispel the 'what ifs' and 'maybes'.

"Thanks, man. I thought I saw him talking to her outside the club, but I couldn't tell for sure." Logan looked down and saw that the paper towel in his hands was torn to shreds. _Breathe_ , he reminded himself.

"Then that was after I chased him away. Asshat can't take a hint." Weevil shook his head at Logan. "We all like your girl, Logan."

Logan nodded, not sure what to say to that, and then tossed what was left of the towel into the trashcan on his way out. He rounded the corner from the bathroom to see Veronica bent over the pool table, lining up her shot. All he saw was her ass facing him. It addled his brain. _Two, three, five, seven, eleven._ Prime numbers had always helped in situations like this… _until today that is. Lucky you, Echolls. Calm down before everyone in the joint gets a front row seat to just how into this girl you are._

Luckily for him, Veronica took her shot and stood up straight as he approached. But then he saw her turn and double over, clutching her knees and shaking. Worried, he quickened his pace, only to realize— _Is she laughing?_ That's when Logan heard Duncan's voice.

"…so then _Logan_ comes running into the classroom, _buck naked_ , yelling—"

 _What?_ "Whoa there. No more bonding time for you two." He pushed Duncan away from the table and then pulled Veronica back flush against him, his arm wrapping around her waist at the exact spot that her top met her jeans. He felt her shiver when his thumb touched her bare stomach, and he grinned over the top of her head. "Play fair, honey," he said loudly enough so Dick could hear. "He gets cranky when he loses."

Veronica giggled innocently. "I always play fair. I can't believe you'd suggest otherwise." Then she turned her face up to Logan and whispered, "I've got this one in the bag!" with a wink.

Dick flipped him off.

"You'd better be nice to me or I'll let you move your own shit into your dorm room." Logan warned, laughing.

"USC, baby!" Dick cheered.

Logan shook his head, pulling her the few feet back to where the stools were against the wall. He sat down and pulled her up with him until she was settled in his lap, resting against his chest. _God, I'd do anything to take her back to my room right now._ But he resisted.

"The guys and I ordered some food to sober up," she stated. "Nachos and sliders…wings and eggrolls—you'd think we were back at home. They should be ready soon if you want to run to the next building and pick them up."

"That's perfect." Logan hesitated, unsure how to bring up the subject of other guys hitting on her. "So Weevs said you had some unwanted attention this evening. At least he assumed it was unwelcome," he said cautiously as he continued rubbing his thumb along the skin of her torso.

"Oh, I should have guessed you'd know him too. You really did go to Olympic High." She turned her body to face him. Logan didn't like what he saw in her eyes. "He followed me outside, but I think I took care of it. Lilly set me up with a Tinder account." Veronica sighed, rolling her eyes. "I made her take it off now, but I guess Mercer saw me there…well, he didn't take the rejection well."

"What?" Logan scanned her for injury. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"He didn't hurt me; he grabbed me. I'm making too big a deal of it. He mostly hurled insults at me. No harm, no foul," she assured him, placing a hand on his cheek.

Logan exhaled loudly and brought his forehead to rest on hers. "Good. Well, he's universally hated amongst those who know him, so don't hesitate to pop him in the jaw if you see him again. You'll be a hero in our circles," he assured her. He knew he was grinning like an idiot, but he didn't care. He liked being here with her like this.

"Noted," she responded with a sly smile.

At Dick's call, Veronica placed a light kiss on Logan's lips. She pulled out a fifty-dollar bill from her back pocket and pressed it into his hand. Before he could object, she explained. "It's the least I can do. I've relived your friends of enough tonight. You silly rich kids," she rolled her eyes dramatically. "It's like taking candy from a baby." With that she retreated back to the pool table where Dick was waiting.

"You boys ready to see how this is done?" she called cheerily, to which the team shouted its approval. "Logan's gonna get the food!" That made them cheer even more loudly.

Logan smiled as he stood up and slid the money she'd given him into the front pocket of his jeans. There was no way he'd use it; he'd find a way to give it back to her later. He offered her a small wave before taking off. "Keep the stories PG, guys, Veronica doesn't need to know everything about me just yet!"

He headed out the side door and into the Rio night. It was a short walk and the cool air helped clear the alcohol from his head.

It took longer than he'd expected to pick up the food, and when Logan re-entered the gaming area he was taken aback at how rowdy the room had become. He wended his way through the other patrons, and as he approached the corner his friends had taken over, the voices became discernable. It was chanting.

"Ronnie! Ronnie! Ronnie!"

He laughed. _Holy shit, what is going on here?_ He pushed his way to the center of the circle of teammates to see Veronica concentrating hard at a spot on the wall out of his sight. Her arm perched behind her head; she then shot it forward, meeting with cheers and high fives. Enbom was the only one silent. He'd covered his face with his hands, his fingers spread wide so that he could peek between them.

Logan burst out in laughter when he saw what was going on. "Darts?"

Veronica spun around to look at him, her eyes bright with excitement and unspent laughter. She smiled innocently.

"Seriously? She won a gold medal for marksmanship! You're idiots!"

"Shut up, Logan," Enbom warned as Veronica lined up her next shot.

Logan knew his friend wasn't really mad. "Whose brilliant idea was this?"

The game paused and all eyes turned to Dick, who had the decency to look guilty, and then everyone's attention turned back to the target on the wall.

"Dude, don't knock it; I'm in it for half," Dick whispered so only Logan could hear him. Dick stuck his hand out behind his back, and Logan slapped it in a subtle low five.

Veronica fired again, the dart careening through the air and landing dead center in the bull's-eye. She let out a scream of delight. The guys swarmed her; patting of her back, mussing of her hair, high-fives, and shouts of congratulations continued until D'Amato realized Logan had the food.

"Soup's on!" he shouted, distracting everyone.

"All right, guys, let's eat up and then head in for the night. Practice is just a few hours away." Enbom's voice echoed off the walls and he ended his little speech with a clap.

"Wait, wait…whoa there, friends," Veronica held her hand out like a crossing guard. "Pay up first, then food." She was met with a chorus of groans. "I'll tell ya what," she proposed. "You pay up now, and the first round is mine _after you win gold_."

That got everyone's attention, and the guys coughed up quickly, each one jibbing her with some silly comment as they did so. Logan swallowed past the lump in his throat. If he didn't know better, he'd think he was falling in love. But that wasn't allowed. This was just Rio.

* * *

Veronica stashed the money in her pocket and threw Logan a cautious look. Aside from Lilly, most of her high school friends were guys, so she'd fit in with his teammates pretty well. She hoped he was the sort of guy who liked that rather than felt like she was taking over. His expression was unreadable, maybe bordering more on intrigued than anything else.

She felt a sigh of relief when he smiled at her. He laid some of the food out on the high tables and the guys dug in. Veronica's stomach rumbled, but she didn't dive into the food right away like she wanted to. _Let's not introduce him to all sides of you at once, Veronica,_ she thought. _Not everyone is as enamored with your capacity to pack away food as Lilly is._

He was obscured from her vision for a moment, the guys in between them, but then he emerged holding two plates of food. She melted a little right then and there. _He's bringing me food! A man after my own heart._ Now there was an interesting thought. _Best not to get too attached._

"That was amazing," he said when he reached her side. "Hungry?"

"Starving! And not interested in a hangover tomorrow, so win-win." She took the plate from him. "Thanks!"

She turned and led him to a table set aside from the rest. With all the guys eating, the room was significantly quieter. "Your friends are fun," she said before popping a loaded nacho chip into her mouth.

"Fun…" Logan seemed to be rolling the word over in his head. Then he shrugged, "They're good guys. We get along for the most part. A few I know from high school, and some are alumni that I'd met a couple of times before the team was chosen. Most of us are fresh outta high school; only D'Amato is an Olympic veteran." Veronica turned to see Leo throwing a wing at Dick.

"Yes, he certainly seems mature," she scoffed, smiling at D'Amato's antics.

"Well, maturity is a whole other issue," Logan said. "Duncan is the most serious…I thought he'd be named captain, but then Enbom really stepped up at the training camp, so he deserved it."

"And what about you?" she asked, turning her full attention to him.

"Me?" He paused, looking at her again in that intense way he did sometimes—like she was the only one in the room. Veronica realized that she'd stopped chewing and forced herself to cease mooning over him like a middle schooler. "I'm just happy to be on the team. We're pretty green and haven't proven ourselves internationally yet, but we're hungry and ready to win." Logan wiped his mouth with a napkin. "It's a pretty fantastic end to high school and an even better way to jump start my college experience."

Veronica fought the urge to ask him about his plans for the fall. College! _That's right, Veronica, a subtle reminder that this experience is finite._ She remembered Dick mentioning USC, and she swallowed back disappointment, determined to live in the here and now.

"You know, I never thought about it that way, but you're totally right. I can't believe I spent my last summer before college partying in Rio with a gold medal to boot." Veronica shook her head. "I still can't wrap my brain around it."

"Dick showed us your winning shot on Youtube."

"Yeah, I haven't checked it out yet. That's pretty surreal too."

"You were brilliant—so calm and focused. It was intense to watch," he admitted. "I mean we have offense and defense and we're jumping in and out of the pool and setting up plays like chess pieces." He paused for a moment, thinking. "But you—it's just you and it's quiet…you could have heard a pin drop with that last shot."

Veronica blushed and set down her half-eaten slider, pushing her plate away. "You make it sound much more glamorous than it is, trust me." She sat back in her stool—against the wall—and thought for a moment. "But you're right, I _am_ focused when I shoot. So much so that I'm pretty sure the building could have come down around me and I wouldn't have noticed."

"Well, either way it was hot. I wish I'd been there." Veronica kept her eyes on his, loving the intensity of the moment. Logan leaned forward and brushed her long wavy hair behind her ear. She leaned into his hand and closed her eyes, savoring the connection. Logan kissed her gently, sending sparks throughout her body. She didn't know how she could ever go home and continue on as if this had never happened. He was too perfect.

_Oh, this is not good._

* * *

_Early practice tomorrow. Early practice tomorrow._ His conscience chanted the words like a metronome in his head. But Logan ignored the voice as usual; he couldn't help himself. He leaned in to kiss her and the world disappeared.

His sensible conscience wasn't giving up so easily. _Keep a level head, buddy,_ it warned him. _Practice…Olympics…gold medal._ His mind registered catcalls from his teammates, and his body reluctantly obeyed.

He looked at her, eyes closed, lips pink, and wanted to forget everything else, but he couldn't. Not tonight.

"I can't believe I'm saying this right now, but…"

"Practice," she finished for him.

Logan looked up to see the guys finishing up and collecting their things.

"It's almost one, I really need…" he bent toward her again for another kiss when he heard someone clearing their throat next to him. He turned his head to see Duncan a foot away.

"Kane," he said monotone, "What can I do for you?"

"I drew the short straw. I'm here to drag you 'by force if necessary'," he used air quotes, "to your room."

"Excellent!" Logan couldn't hold back his sarcasm. "You've delivered your message, so why don't you take about ten steps back so I can finish this properly?"

Veronica giggled, and Logan stood up from his stool and settled himself between her knees, kissing her long and hard in front of everyone, ignoring their cheers and jeers.

He took pride in how flustered Veronica looked when he pulled away. "Walk you back?" he asked.

She nodded silently in agreement, biting her lower lip, which made him want to kiss her again. He decided to behave, and stepped back from her, holding his hand out for her to take. On her way out, she stopped at the bar and spoke briefly to the bartender. The man handed her something—Logan couldn't see what—and she smiled gratefully at him before heading back to Logan.

They walked behind the others, his arm around her shoulders, and hers around his waist. It was going to kill him to leave her in her room alone tonight.

 _Early morning practice! Early morning practice!_ He chanted the words with each step he took so that his impulsive self couldn't sneak a word in edgewise.

When they reached her building, Logan called out to the team, who were still a few yards ahead of them: "This is her place. I'm going to walk her up. See you guys in a few."

A few of them stopped in their tracks. Weevil and Dick smiled at him knowingly, but Kane and Enbom looked stormy.

"All right," Enbom finally relented. "But if you aren't back in fifteen, I'm sending Kane in after you."

Logan laughed at Duncan's absolute look of horror, and then nodded to his friends. _Killjoys!_ "Fine—fifteen minutes," he stated flatly as he pulled Veronica into her building and toward the stairs.

"Sorry if I'm getting you in trouble," she whispered as if they were sneaking around. It reminded him of how he'd done the same thing after their rooftop make-out session.

He stopped at her door and kissed her deeply, forcing himself not to let things escalate. "They'll survive," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Well, you're here. You're safe." _I don't want to leave!_

"Yeah, thanks. I had fun tonight."

"Me too," he whispered, losing the battle to keep his lips off of hers, once again. The kiss that he'd hoped would wind things down did anything but. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him. He pulled her fully against him, lifting her slightly so they were better aligned and he could grind his hips against hers.

It was she who pulled away this time, letting out a soft laugh as she did. "So you really have to go?" she panted, her hands catching at the back of his neck and running up his scalp.

He groaned but nodded. "You heard them…fifteen minutes." _I can't believe I'm leaving her right now._ "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have led you on all night."

Logan was surprised when she smiled up at him. "Don't be sorry. Time's not up yet." Her eyes were playful and her voice sultry. She unlocked her door and stepped through it backwards, pulling him across the threshold with her. She grabbed her phone, and Logan thought she was going to give him her number. "Got twelve minutes to help out a girl in need?"

 _Is she really offering up a quickie?_ Logan managed a nod. Or at least he thought he did. _I could fall in love with this girl!_

* * *

LoVe Day & Night 4:

Logan swam a slow 200 meters to cool down. Coach hadn't ridden them as hard as he could have, which was good—the team knew what they needed to do. So Fennel had spouted some words of wisdom, spent twenty minutes in the cold morning water making them visualize the win, and then pushed them through some drills to keep their stamina up.

As he hoisted himself up out of the pool, Logan caught a glimpse of the now faded numbers written in Sharpie on his arm. _Veronica._ After their tryst last night, Veronica had walked him to the door where she'd unexpectedly pulled out a pen and written her number across his forearm before allowing him to leave. He hadn't wanted to go; he'd been tempted more than once to send a group text of his middle finger to the guys and settle into bed with her. But he'd made a promise to himself about focus, and he was going to keep it. Logan had pulled his shirtsleeve down over her number as he'd jogged to meet up with Duncan, and then programmed it into his phone when he'd returned to his room.

Now, as he stood under the spray of hot shower and let it slowly warm him up, he contemplated the day and what to do with the contact information that he had for Veronica. He didn't care so much about looking needy; he was more interested in not wasting any time that he had with her. His big game was the next day, and he hadn't arranged to stay in Rio past that. He and Dick had promised to move each other into their dorms; Dick at USC and Logan at Stanford. But classes had begun at both schools already, so they were in a time crunch. Staying here a few more days wouldn't be the end of the world, but he didn't want to screw up Stanford either. Especially if Veronica wasn't interested in seeing him after Rio.

Maybe it was time to subtly pump some information out of her…where she was headed for this fall and how long she was in Rio. Logan had been dying to ask her since that first night. Then he hadn't wanted to break the spell, but now it would be broken all on it's own in two days. He had to decide if he should put his cards out on the table or let this stay a Rio thing.

He washed himself of chlorine and watched the numbers on his arm fade to barely visible. _You don't have plans for the day, and you do owe her a meal….a real meal._ That made him smile—it was the perfect excuse to call her. Logan turned off the water and saw Dick and D'Amato standing behind him, completely dressed.

"Dude, I've been calling your name for like over a minute," Dick protested as Logan wrapped his towel around his waist. "I assume, based on the writing on your arm that we won't be seeing you for the rest of the day?"

Logan thought about denying the obvious, but why bother? "Not if things go my way."

Leo snickered and Dick slapped him upside the head. "Well, we're meeting for an early dinner. Ronnie's invited too; she's like our mascot now."

"I'll let her know." Logan smiled as he brushed past them and made his way to the bench where his bag was and pulled out his clothes, dressing quickly. _Hmm...to call or text…_ he mused as he hoisted his bag over his shoulder.

"Call her," Enbom's voice echoed off the walls of the locker room.

Logan, confused, turned to see the guys gathering their stuff as well.

"Yeah, when you think with your mouth, people can hear you," Weevil spoke the words slowly, as if he were talking to a baby.

Logan snickered and gave them a small wave as he walked toward the door. He'd call her when he got outside.

* * *

Veronica had been a mixture of nervous-excited and anxious-embarrassed all morning. Now, in the light of day, inviting a boy up to her room for a quickie seemed a little wanton—a lot wanton. _Ugh, Veronica, and then you wrote your number on his arm._ She cringed at the thought now. At the time she'd done it on impulse. She'd taken the pen from the bartender, intending to slip him a note or something…not to write it up his arm. She groaned again, wondering if she should tell Lilly nor not…With only two days left, she just hadn't wanted to waste another day with them not knowing how to contact one another, but he hadn't returned the favor. Had she read things wrong? She'd almost expected him to text her with his info that night, but the only text she'd received had been from her father. Veronica cringed again. _My dad would die if he knew._ She shuddered.

Veronica's thoughts were interrupted by the sight of Lilly waiting for her at a table outside their usual café. Her friend smiled brightly when she saw Veronica, her eyes widened with excitement and she was practically bouncing in her seat. Lilly was always ready to hear the new news.

"You are _glow-ing_ ," Lilly sing-songed as Veronica leaned down to hug her.

"I had a great night," Veronica smiled.

"I was worried you'd still be mad at me."

Lilly didn't look ashamed, but she did look contrite, and that was about as close as Lilly ever got to an apology. "As long as the account is down, you and I are okay," Veronica stated as she slid into a chair opposite her friend.

"Excellent, because I want to hear everything, Veronica Mars. Start at the beginning and leave nothing out."

"There isn't much to tell actually. I just spent the night with Logan and his friends. We—"

"Okay, how are you so calm about this? Seriously, you spent the night with the men's water polo team in Rio." Lilly paused for a moment, clearly hatching a scheme. "Come to think of it, how have I not met any of them yet?" Lilly asked, her hand on her chest, just coming to the conclusion that she'd been slighted. "Why can't we meet up somewhere outside the Village?"

The tables were turned for the first time, and it was refreshing…fun. Even Lilly seemed to be enjoying it. "C'mon, V, introduce me to the team!" She folded her hands below her chin and pouted. "I'll be your best friend!"

"You already are my best friend, Lilly!" Veronica laughed. They'd had this interaction weekly for at least the past decade or so.

"Well, now's your chance to pay me back for all those guys I set you up with over the years."

"Lots of good those did me. I found this guy on my own, thank you very much."

Lilly studied her for a long moment. "You really like this guy! Where's he going to college?"

"I haven't asked him, but I think he's staying in LA. I'm trying to…keep things light." Lilly began to protest, but Veronica stopped her. "Enough, Lilly."

Lilly held up her hands in surrender. "I'm stopping," she insisted. After a moment's silence, Lilly tried again. "Can I at least meet _him_ if not the whole team?"

"Oh my God, Lilly, we'll see!" Veronica gave in, knowing she sounded like Celeste when Lilly exasperated her. "It's not like I have the whole team on standby…I've met them once!" As if on cue, Veronica's phone began to buzz in her pocket. She pulled it out to see an unfamiliar number with a 619 area code.

"Is it him?" Lilly giggled, bouncing a little in her seat. "It is, isn't it?"

Veronica rolled her eyes. "I don't know. It's 619—"

"Answer it, answer it. That's San Diego!"

"How on Earth do you know—"

With a groan, Lilly reached forward and pressed the green 'Accept' button on Veronica's phone and then leaned back in her seat smugly.

"Lilly!" she whispered accusingly at her friend. Veronica didn't know what to say. She was still trying to get over the embarrassment of writing her number on his arm.

"Say something! Go!" Lilly whisper prompted, running her hand around in circles, as if that would help.

"Hello?" Veronica spoke into the phone.

" _Veronica?"_ The voice on the other end asked.

She decided to play it safe…sarcasm was her best bet. "Yes, who's this?" She stepped away from the table and Lilly's knowing glare.

" _Um…it's me, Logan."_ He sounded hesitant. " _Were you expecting someone else after last night?"_

"Logan…from the Village?" She had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.

" _Yup."_ He popped the 'P'.

"Hmm…rugby Logan or weightlifting Logan?"

" _Seriously?"_ he laughed. _"You're sassing me?"_

A-ha, now he'd caught on. "Yeah…I'm still not sure. I had a pretty busy night last night; I wrote my number on several appendages. Can you describe yourself? Maybe it will help jog my memory."

His voice turned husky. " _Hmm…I'm just about six feet tall…play water polo. I like long walks on the beach, making out on rooftop terraces…tiny blondes who can shoot like Chris Kyle."_

"Aw, you Googled!" she giggled.

" _No, I just saw the movie and I was hoping to impress you. You know, stand out in the crowd. Clearly I failed,"_ he said, his tone playful.

"Oh, stop it. And you don't have to try to impress me," she assured him. "How was practice?"

" _It was good—great even—but now I'm hungry and under no obligation of team building, so was wondering if we wanted to have that meal together. Whatcha up to?"_

"I'm having brunch with Lilly. Then we're off to an equestrian event. And we wanted to squeeze in some shopping before we go home."Veronica turned to see Lilly waving her arms wildly in Veronica's direction. She squinted at her friend, trying to decipher her charades.

" _Sounds fun. So lunch is out…how about dinner?"_

"Dinner? Your big game is tomorrow."

" _Early dinner! Geriatric dinner, really. We can get the early bird special."_

Veronica was only half listening; Lilly was putting on quite a show. _Jumping? Swinging? Baton twirling…was that even an Olympic sport?_

'What?' she mouthed at her friend, hitting 'mute' on her phone.

"Gymnastics! Invite him to gymnastics! He can have your dad's ticket and I can meet him," Lilly nodded her head wildly, her eyes wide and sparkling.

"No! That's with your parents…this is Rio fun, not a serious, 'meeting the parents' thing."

Lilly set her jaw and gave Veronica a long, hard stare.

" _So, what do you think?"_ Logan's voice came through the phone.

Veronica saw Lilly start to smile just as she felt her own resolve crumble. _Lilly's up to something. I'm going to regret this!_ She switched the phone back off mute.

"Oh, I can't tonight. Lilly and I are going to gymnastics tonight." Veronica paused for a moment before continuing. "We have an extra ticket. Wanna join us?" She cringed at her own words.

Now the silence was on his end. She was just about to give him an out when he spoke up. "Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that. If you're sure."

"Of course. Pick me up at six?" she asked, mentally making a list to give Lilly of topics that were off limits that evening. _College, significant others, hobbies, exes, parents…_

"That sounds great!" There was another pause. "I'll see you then."

"See you at six," she spoke into the phone and ended the call. She turned to Lilly, "Okay, as usual, I caved, and he's coming." Veronica laughed at Lilly's squeal of delight. "But first, we've gotta talk."

* * *

Logan's fingers drummed in anticipation against his credentials as he made his way to Veronica's building. It was cool this evening and he'd thrown his US Water Polo jacket on over a t-shirt with jeans. He was a little anxious, he had to admit. But the good kind of anxious—the excited kind. He turned the corner and saw her standing in her building's foyer waiting for him, and it was like a switch flipped, all his nervous energy faded and he felt a calm fill him.

Logan opened the door for some athletes to precede him into the building, and Veronica met him there.

"Hey!" she said. "Logan, right?" A sly grin spread across her face. He loved these moments with her.

"The one and only!" he responded automatically. "Ya know, aside from badminton Logan and table-tennis Logan…"

"It was rugby Logan, not badminton Logan!" she corrected, playfully swatting at his arm. "Geesh, keep my Logan's straight, please." She wrapped her arm through his, holding on to his bicep with her free hand. It made his breath catch, but he thought he hid it pretty well.

"So I thought we'd walk!" she said. He nodded in response. He really wanted to kiss her, but he didn't know if they had that kind of 'daylight' relationship. "You're lucky that the Village is so close to your pool. Shooting was like twenty miles away. There's nothing like a half hour in a car to make you obsess about your competition."

"Were you nervous?"

"Not as much as I should have been, clearly. Remember, I'm a newbie…medaling wasn't even on my radar. I was literally the person who says 'I'm just excited to be here' when the press bothered to ask me. No pressure…no expectations." She looked at him and laughed. "Thank god I didn't know! I would have been a wreck!"

"See, we have the opposite issue. They picked a greener team than ever before to change things up. US men's water polo hasn't won gold yet. So, pressure, but no pressure? Now we're down to the last match, so it's gold or silver. Coach was on the silver-winning team in Beijing and would love us to make a move here, especially now that we're so close." Logan sighed, "He's gotten quiet these past few days, too. I think that makes things worse than when he yells."

Veronica nodded, seeming to understand that. "So you're nervous, but not nervous."

"Exactly! But in the way that I'm scared shitless."

She laughed at that, leaning her head into him, so he reached around her shoulders and pulled her close and placed a kiss on the top of her head. "And now I get to meet your friend. So that does nothing for the nerves."

"Hey! I had to meet all your friends at once. You're like the jock cool kids, I'm…me!"

Logan stopped and looked at her, pulling her into his chest. "High school's over, Veronica. No more jocks and nerds. Now I'm just me, too. And the me I am now likes you."

She blushed and he beamed, liking that she got frazzled around him. "I like you too," she said simply. "But you might change your mind…"

He pulled away so that he could see her face.

"Now's probably the time to mention that Lilly's parents are here too."

"Oh, thanks for the heads up!" he laughed. Logan wasn't worried. He did parents well. Especially parents that didn't know what a mess he'd been early in high school. "It's nice that you had such a big cheering section. You're lucky."

"I really am. When I qualified, Lilly's parents rented a place down here…bought tickets to everything. It's been amazing. One last big hurrah before Vassar."

And there it was. _Vassar._ Logan's mind searched through its mental indexes. Vassar wasn't a sports school, so he didn't know it's exact location. _New York? New Jersey?_ Did it even matter? Either way it was leagues away from Stanford, leagues away from him.

"Vassar, that's far." He kept his voice light to mask his surge of disappointment. At least he hoped he had. "You sound close to your dad. What does he think of that?"

She seemed a little surprised, but then she shrugged. "I think he's excited for us to be spreading our wings."

They'd just reached the stadium and slowly made their way through security. Veronica pulled an envelope out of her bag and handed the ticket-taker their tickets to be scanned. The crowd was pumped, and once they got inside, things were a bit crazy. Veronica looked at their tickets and headed toward their section. Logan grabbed her hand. _To make sure we don't get separated,_ he justified in his own mind. But when they arrived at their aisle and the crowd thinned, he didn't want to let go. So he didn't. Veronica didn't seem to mind. He liked that.

"Oh, there they are!" Veronica waved to someone at the bottom of the section, and he followed her gaze to a blonde sitting in the second row. He watched as Lilly's face lit up at the sight of her friend. Lilly's eyes dipped to their clasped hands, but she didn't react other than to tap the middle-aged man next to her. Lilly's parents stood up as well, waving to Veronica happily.

"Is that Jake Carnathan?" he asked, surprised.

"Oh, shoot, I forgot to warn you about that part."

"Your best friend is Lilly Carnathan? How'd you forget that?"

"It's the Silicon Valley, Logan. Everyone is into computers."

"Not everyone is the Bill Gates of the Bay Area," he whispered as they closed in on her friends. Now he knew how his friends felt when they met his father. Logan wasn't a big techie, but this man was a software giant—and a literal giant, Logan realized when the man stood up.

"Hi everyone!" Veronica said when they reached their seats. "This is Logan. Logan, this is Lilly and her parents Jake and Celeste."

Logan reached around Veronica to shake their hands. "Mr. and Mrs. Carnathan, it's nice to meet you." He noticed Lilly mouth something to Veronica, but he couldn't make it out. "Thanks for letting me tag along, these seats are amazing."

"Oh, call us Jake and Celeste, please." Lilly's dad spoke up. "And it's our pleasure."

"We're so excited that men's water polo is in the finals. We were worried for a moment that we'd be watching Croatia play Italy tomorrow, but then you guys came back," Celeste said crisp and pristine, but her smile was warm enough.

"Thank you. We got lucky!" Logan made pleasantries while his mind contemplated the most important thing she'd said. "You have tickets for the finals tomorrow?" He turned to look at Veronica, feeling increasingly jittery. He'd known it was a possibility, but—

"Of course!" Lilly said excitedly. "We wouldn't miss it."

Logan nodded, taking in Veronica's best friend. She was pretty in an unconventional way, and much more in your face compared to Veronica's more subtle nature. Their relationship reminded him of himself and Dick's.

"Don't let that get you nervous!" Veronica whispered, squeezing his hand as she settled herself into a seat, leaving him the vacant one on her other side, away from Lilly.

Lilly, it seemed, was not one to be left out. She leaned across her friend and smiled at him. "So your parents are actors. That's so exciting. The Governator was as close as we get to Hollywood at home."

Logan tensed up. He was used to this kind of thing, but he didn't want to talk about Aaron right now. Especially not in front of Veronica. He knew from how well she'd handled his friends that she was very perceptive.

Veronica, as if to reinforce his point, sat up in her seat, turning her body to face Lilly. "I'm starving. I should have eaten instead of primping after the pony excitement. Stadium food anyone? My treat."

"Oh, Veronica, I don't know how you can eat that greasy food," Celeste admonished in a motherly tone. Then she sighed, "Well, I guess you should enjoy it now, before pregnancy and time wreaks havoc on you. Jake and I are fine, thank you. We forwent the primping for the food." She smiled, and Logan decided that he kind of liked Lilly's mom. She seemed…well, like a mom. _Novel idea._

"No thanks, Veronica, Logan and I will stay here and get acquainted," Lilly winked at them.

He felt Veronica deflate. "Since you clearly can't stay away from the banned topics, you leave me no choice but to stay or take him with me," she said tightly to Lilly from between her clenched teeth.

Lilly laughed at that. "Oh, relax, Veronica."

"I'm relaxed. I'll grab some food later."

"So, Logan, you just graduated. Us too, that's exciting. What are your pl—" Lilly started to say.

"Oh look, it's starting! They're lining up." Veronica interrupted. "I can see Simone and Ally!"

Lilly laughed and reached over to kiss Veronica's cheek. "I'll play nice," she whispered, but Logan heard.

He squeezed her hand to reassure her that he could handle the best friend interrogation. He couldn't even come close to putting into words how he felt about Veronica protecting him, even if it was just over a possibly too personal conversation. No one had ever done that. Not ever. A lump grew in his throat, and he was happy when the announcer came on, welcoming the crowd in Portuguese.

* * *

Veronica knew she was bouncing off the walls like a twelve-year-old, but she didn't care. "That was amazing! I can't believe I got to see that! _We_ got to see that. They were incredible!"

She and Logan had just entered the Village and were strolling along the main avenue.

"You do realize you're speaking about yourself in that too?"

Veronica blinked and looked up at him for clarification.

"Veronica, you're an Olympic gold medalist! Just like Simone."

That got her attention. She'd never really thought of herself that way—thought of her Olympic experience that way. She still thought it was different, but he was right. _I'm pretty badass._ The realization overwhelmed her, and she turned, stepping in front of him, and pulled him down for a long, passionate kiss. _He's so wonderful!_ "Thank you," she whispered against his mouth when she pulled back from the kiss slightly. "That's the nicest…"

"It's true," he whispered as he tucked her head under his chin and hugged her till she felt her ribs constrict.

"And your turn's tomorrow!" she reminded him.

That seemed to humble him. "Maybe!" he replied hopefully.

"Does it really make you nervous that I'll be there?" she asked, hoping the answer was no.

"Not really," he said after a moment. "At first I was excited at the thought, but then…It's just not what I'm used to. Supporters."

"Well, get used to it," she snarked, kissing his nose and then each of his eyelids. "And I'll be cheering my heart out tomorrow from the stands! And you're part of at least an Olympic silver-winning team, Echolls."

His expression was unreadable, but she noticed that he swallowed hard and nodded before looking away. She really wanted to kiss him, but not here. Veronica grabbed his hand and pulled them away from her building and toward his.

"Wait, where are we going?" he called out from behind her.

She continued tugging him along wordlessly, turning once to wink at him over her shoulder. When they arrived, she finally spoke. "I'm walking you home. No excuses for not getting a good night's sleep."

He laughed, letting her pull him through the foyer and into the elevator. Once there, he pulled her against him and nuzzled her neck.

"This is very sweet and all, but there's a flaw in your logic."

She smiled, she'd been expecting this. "I think it's a great plan."

"Of course you would, it's your plan. But there's the whole issue of me needing sleep tonight."

"I'm just going to tuck you in," she insisted. "Make sure you're comfortable and ready for a good night's sleep."

"That's debatable…you in my room didn't yield much sleep last time." He kissed her neck. "And that's all I'm currently thinking about. Your room is safer…we tend to just make-out outside your door. Usually."

Veronica giggled at that, squirming as his lips brushed sensitive spots.

"Which brings me to the second problem." The elevator stopped with a 'ding' and the doors opened. "Now who's going to walk _you_ home?"

"Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself," she assured him as they made their way awkwardly to his door as a unit, his arms still wrapped around her waist.

"This just feels wrong, I'm supposed to walk _you_ home," he insisted.

Veronica laughed, taking his keys from him and unlocking his door. "You know women can walk by themselves now…we can vote and everything!"

"Very cute," he replied, rolling his eyes at her. "Okay, now you have me here, what are you going to do with me."

"Well, you have said several times today that you need to sleep tonight, and I can take a hint." She reached up on her tiptoes and kissed him chastely. "Goodnight, Logan. I'll see you tomorrow." Veronica rallied every ounce of self-control she possessed, turned around, and headed for the door.

Logan caught her arm before she got a two steps away. "I don't want you to go. Stay. We'll just sleep."

"Like you said, history shows that us together in your bedroom isn't conducive to sleep."

"It's good to try new things."

"It's a tiny bed, Logan," she said, indicating the twin bed in the corner. "It's your big game tomorrow," she reminded him. His face faltered and she thought she had him.

"Then we'll sleep," he insisted.

She relented. She hadn't intended for this to happen, but she didn't want to leave either. Them fooling around all night wasn't good for his game. "Do you have a t-shirt or something I could wear?" she asked. He beamed at her, nodding his head. Logan walked over to the dresser, pulled out a large shirt and handed it to her.

Veronica was determined to keep her wits about her, and turned away, changing quickly. By the time she turned back, he had stripped down to his boxers. Her visceral reaction to his body was acute. She hadn't ever been attracted to anyone like she was to Logan. _He has to sleep, Veronica,_ she reminded herself as she pulled her bra off through her sleeve.

"You're beautiful," he said, staring unabashedly.

"Funny, I was just about to say the same thing," she replied as she approached the bed. "You get in first, you need to be comfy."

Logan flipped off the main light and got into bed. She climbed in next to him, curling against him—him on his back and her on her side. She laid her head down on her chest, laying her arm across his chest while he situated their legs comfortably.

They lay there together for a few moments before she heard him puff frustratedly. "I can't sleep."

Veronica laughed heartily. "It's been like two minutes, and this was _your_ idea!"

"Yeah, but the desire to sleep next to you made me forget how hard it would be to actually fall asleep."

Veronica shook her head, lightly brushing her fingertips down his side. He reached up and stilled her hand.

"That's not going to help," he chuckled.

She stopped and closed her eyes, willing herself to sleep. A moment later she felt his hand gently rubbing up her arm where it lay across his chest. She decided to switch tactics. "Tell me a secret," she whispered.

"A secret?"

"Yes, a secret, something no one knows about you—or at least not many people."

He hesitated, so she decided to get things going. "I'll start. I _love_ unicorns."

He pinched her arm playfully. "You do not!"

"Okay, fine. I like ponies though. My dad used to take me riding when I was little at this stable near our house. I loved it."

"That's not a secret."

"Fine," she sighed, thinking for a moment. "I have an irrational deathly fear of jellyfish. I saw them when I was little at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and I freaked out, so now I stay out of the ocean."

"Really?" he asked, still brushing his hand along her arm.

"True story. And hardly anyone knows that's the reason why. Now you…"

"I hate my dad's movies," he admitted.

"Everyone hates your dad's movies!" she insisted, making him laugh. "You can do better than that."

"I grew up in the public eye, Veronica, I don't have secrets."

"Okay," she replied simply, not wanting to push him. She closed her eyes again, waiting for sleep.

A moment later he spoke, "I don't think anyone's ever tucked me in before." He paused for a moment. "My mom drank a lot while I was growing up. Then she got into prescription pills. It was really bad for a long time and I had to keep it a secret. She was an addict, and my parents' marriage was a farce. That's why she killed herself."

Veronica was taken aback by his admission—by the turn in the conversation. Everyone knew about Lynn Echolls' very public suicide, but she hadn't known the rest. Probably no one did. She covered his hand with hers against his chest, squeezing him a little bit. "My mom was an alcoholic too. She left a few years ago. It came out that she'd been having an on-again, off-again affair with one of my dad's deputies. So long, in fact, that my paternity was in question." Logan gasped. "We did a test. My dad's my dad. Lamb transferred to Oregon…my mom went with him. I haven't heard from her since except for periodic, silent phone calls. She doesn't say anything, but I know it's her."

"I'm sorry, Veronica, I—"

"Ancient history, Logan."

Logan didn't miss a beat. "My dad used me as a punching bag…amongst other things."

"What?" she gasped, raising her head to try to see his face in the moonlight coming in through the window.

"Not anymore. I was raised in Neptune, but my mom died and we had the beach house up in Orange County, so I went up there for high school. I was out of control, and staying away from Aaron was important. I went to school up in Santa Ana and stayed with my coach or friends when Aaron was in town."

"How bad was it?"

"Bad."

And that was the moment—the exact moment—that she realized she was half in love with him. And to think of someone hurting him…Veronica couldn't _not_ touch him anymore, she ran her hand down his cheek and then leaned in to kiss him tenderly. The kiss intensified, and Veronica adjusted so that she was straddling him, pulling off her shirt as she did so. She reached for where he'd kept the condoms in the bedside table last time, and Logan pulled away.

"I don't want a pity fuck, Veronica," he said, trying to turn them so she was on his side again. "That's not why I told you."

So many feelings coursed through her at that moment. Anger…at his shitty dad…his mom. Anger at him for thinking she would have sex with him because she felt sorry for him.

She reached up and switched on the light next to the bed. He squinted at the sudden onslaught of light and looked away. "I wouldn't do that." He ignored her. "Logan, look at me." She waited until his eyes met hers. "I wouldn't do that. It's just…the thought of someone hurting you…I can't even imagine…"

It was Logan who kissed her that time, pulling her down onto his chest while he reached up to shut off the light with his other hand. Logan handed Veronica the condom she'd been reaching for, and she ripped off the wrapping. He slid off his boxers and took the condom from her, rolling it on as she removed her underwear.

She wanted to erase the pain of his past. He deserved to be loved. Nothing else was important.

Veronica groaned as she slid down his length, kissing his chest, his face, his neck as she did. But where yesterday's fling had been all giggles and frenzy, tonight was the opposite; calm, gentle, loving…serious. He grabbed her hips and set them into a torturous rhythm until they were both panting from the exertion…the emotions…the need for release.

Veronica sat up and focused on him—she watched him watching her. The feelings he was eliciting from her overwhelmed her. Sex with Logan was more than just sex, it was as close to a communion of souls as she'd ever experienced, and she didn't want it to end. When his eyes met hers, his brow furrowed. "You okay?" he asked gently.

She smiled softly and nodded, leaning forward against him again. "I'm perfect."

He moved his hands up to cradle her face, kissing her tenderly while she continued to move on top of him. Veronica gasped when his mouth moved down to her breast and he flicked his tongue against her nipple. She squirmed on top of him, arching her back so that he could take more of her breast into his mouth.

After a moment, the build was more than she could take, and she leaned forward, burying her face in his shoulder, leaning on him for support. But the new angle felt even better. He groaned in response, sliding his hands around to cup her ass tightly, pushing even deeper into her. It drove her over the edge. She came apart, melting into him as he found his release.

They lay there for a moment, spent and naked in each other's arms, saying nothing. He kissed her gently before sliding out of her and disposing of his condom. When he laid back down, he pulled her back on top of him the way they'd been before.

Veronica lay sated against his chest, thinking about their situation. She didn't know how she would leave him after Rio was over. His breathing eventually slowed and deepened, and she was glad he was falling asleep. It would give her time to contemplate what was happening between them. She relaxed into him, reveling in the feeling of his warm naked body pressed against her. But the sound of Logan's voice made her eyes spring open.

"The secret I wanted to say is that I don't want this to end. I'm not ready to leave Rio…to leave you," Logan whispered. "But I was too chicken to tell you while you were awake," he said sleepily, leaning forward to kiss the crown of her head, and then laying back against his pillow.

Veronica kept her breathing even, praying that Logan couldn't feel her heart beating a mile per minute against his chest. Eventually she calmed down enough and fell asleep herself, still thinking of him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: There will be one more chapter! I'm debating a epilogue, so let me know what you think!
> 
> As with previous chapters, I took some creative liberty with this fluff piece. I changed the Stanford start date, ignored a few layers of water polo qualifications, slightly moved the Village, and totally disregarded all Olympic scheduling other than shooting being first. :) Basically, I went with whatever made my life as a writer easier.
> 
> Thanks to kmd0107 for her beta skills and support...and to my husband who saved Veronica from being a little wonton instead of a little wanton.


	4. LoVe Night Five

LoVe Night 5:

The locker room was tense with anticipation. The guys were all wearing their robes to keep warm, and Butters was camped out in the corner, heaving into the trash can between his knees. Everyone else was too quiet. The silence made everything worse. Logan understood the importance of this day, but anxiety wasn't going to help them play well. They usually joked around before a game.

"Glad to see Butters got in a healthy breakfast. I'm so nervous I couldn't eat all morning, and when the adrenaline rush is over, I'm going to faint on the damn pool deck," he offered, hoping to break the ice.

"Freakin' tell me about it. I couldn't even drink last night," Dick agreed, slapping his cap against his thigh. "I never play matches not hung over. I don't even know how to play without a headache."

"Good to know that nervous overrides lush, Dick," Kane piped in.

"Remember before our first match last year when Enbom pissed himself before we went out?" Weevil asked.

A towel flew across the room, hitting Eli square in the face. "I didn't piss myself, you asshole. Though, now that you mention it..." He stood up and walked toward the bathroom.

"That's how I remember it," Weevil countered, flipping the towel into a whip and taking a shot at D'Amato.

"Hey, how'd I get involved in this?" Leo laughed. "I was so nervous that I couldn't sleep at all the night before my first Olympic finals."

"And this time you didn't sleep all night because you were chasing skirts." Kane said, rolling his eyes.

"No, that was Echolls," Casey said, turning to look at Logan. "Though I don't think she required much actual chasing."

"Hey, watch it," Logan said, snapping his own towel at Casey. "And I'll have you know I slept fantastic last night." _Afterwards,_ he added silently. _Not to mention waking up with her…and the good luck morning sex._

"So, what's the story with you and Ronnie?" Dick asked.

"There's no story. She's off to the East coast; I'm off to Stanford. We're just…enjoying Rio," Logan said with a shrug, trying to convey that he was fine with that.

"You know, with Skype there's really no such thing as a long distance relationship anymore," Butters said from the corner, still gripping the trashcan and looking green.

Logan didn't even want to think about that right now. It was too tempting. Damn his need to break the silence earlier. They'd turned on him. "Butters the romantic," Logan sighed, scratching the top of his head.

"Back East? Bummer!" Enbom said, sitting back down. "Butters is right. You should consider keeping that going. I like her. Even if she took all my money."

 _Enbom the romantic? That doesn't compute._ Inspiration hit Logan. He could easily deflect the attention. "Look to Dick if you want some money back, he was in with her for half."

All eyes turned to Dick, who gave Logan a death glare. Logan just laughed as everyone pummeled Dick with their towel.

"I let her keep it!" he said, ducking and avoiding the onslaught. Of course, it was at that moment that the coach and assistant walked back in, but Dick couldn't see them from under the towels. "She said she'd give us all a treat tonight, remember?"

"Can you fools never take anything seriously? This is the Olympic finals for Christ's sake." Coach Fennel shook his head in disgust. "Are you clowns even sob—"

"Yes!" the group chorused.

"Even me," Dick added, rubbing his head.

Coach rolled his eyes. "Why does that _not_ make me feel better?"

 

* * *

 

"Wow, this isn't anything like water polo in high school."

Lilly Carnathan's voice had a dream-like quality to it, but Veronica barely noticed. She was so intent on the competition about to begin. She was nervous—more nervous than she'd been for her own competition. The fact that she knew half the guys standing on the edge of the pool right now somehow made things personal.

The players were introduced one by one and Veronica cheered loudly for each of her new friends. She and Lilly went wild when Logan's name was called, and she saw a tiny half-smirk skim his lips. He looked briefly up in their direction a moment later, catching her eye for one moment before steeling himself back into game mode.

Veronica felt a little anxiety bubble up. She wanted him to know she was there, but not to pressure him.

"Take the robes off, boys," Lilly cheered quietly.

Celeste murmured her agreement, which made Lilly blush and Veronica smile. Ogling men in Speedos seemed to bridge their generation gap in a way that no spa day ever could have.

After the referees were introduced, the boys dropped their robes, quickly donning their caps and doing last minute stretches. Then the starting players hopped into the pool and the match began. Once the guys were in the water, it was almost impossible for Veronica to pick Logan out from the pack. If it weren't for the US' white caps, she wouldn't even be able to differentiate between the teams.

Croatia scored first, the ball going right between Duncan Kane's fingers. Veronica gasped but tried not to get too worried. The first two quarters continued steadily with the US and Croatia mostly taking turns scoring.

During the second two-minute break, Lilly took one look at Veronica and laughed. "Look, Mom, V's all flustered."

Jake and Celeste turned to look at Veronica too.

"Little nervous there, Veronica?" Jake asked playfully. "I only ask because you've practically mauled that program."

Veronica looked down to see that the paper was a mess from her ringing it with her hands for the past twenty minutes. She let out a nervous laugh. "Guess you caught me."

"Oh, don't be embarrassed, your father couldn't stay in his seat for your event. And Jake and Lilly were squirming like toddlers," Celeste said with a twinkle, opening her bag and producing snacks for them all.

"Oh, but you were so calm? Ms. Twenty-Three Bathroom Breaks!" Lilly teased as she took a granola bar.

Celeste sat up a little straighter but didn't try to disguise her amusement. "Oh no, I never claimed I was calm."

"Oh, Mom, I love that you can finally admit you're a basket case," Lilly said and leaned her head on her mother's shoulder.

Celeste's eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly reached around to give her daughter a squeeze. Then Celeste looked affectionately at Veronica. "Oh, you two are so smug. I'm glad Veronica's finally getting a taste of what it's like for the rest of us when she completes. Just wait until it's your children." She turned to Jake who was nodding affectionately.

"Then we get to relax while you are a mess. Ah, payback's a b—"

The buzzer sounded, signaling the start of the third quarter and interrupting Lilly. Veronica didn't know how she would be able to sit through another sixteen minutes of play.

 

* * *

 

The score was close. Too close. The teams were evenly matched for the most part. No one was giving goals away—each one had to be hard earned or stolen. Team USA had had an advantage over the other teams thus far in that they had both a strong offense and defense, but Croatia did as well. And they were playing dirty.

The lack of breaks was exhausting Logan. He didn't know if he was just imagining it, but he didn't think he'd swum back and forth down the pool this much since he was a kid. If the Croat's plan was trying to tire them out, it was working. Logan went to make a shot and took a heel to his lower back. He grimaced and the shot went wild, earning a groan from the team and the audience. The pain from the kick gave him the hyper-focus that can only come from an adrenaline release. It was just what he needed.

The third period kept the score even, with both teams' defense deflecting most goal attempts. It was exhausting and invigorating at the same time. Logan was pulled down in the water from behind and turned a hostile glare into the eyes of the player who had a hold on his suit. Logan brought his leg up and gave the guy as good a pop to his thigh as he could muster without being noticed from the surface. He still managed to catch the ball and ignored the hard pinch to his side as he passed the ball to Enbom. And then Logan kicked the Croat again—harder this time.

He team breathed a sigh of relief when the third quarter ended. Logan needed the two minutes to get a drink and regroup. It was normal—if dirty—gameplay, especially for a championship game. Keeping his head cool and not letting himself take things personally was key to getting through this.

"These Croats are tough sons of bitches," Weevil mumbled.

"Brush it off," Enbom said to him when they reached the side of the pool. "You keeping your cool, Echolls?"

Logan nodded silently, doing his best to take reminder to heart. Everyone on his team was experiencing the same abuse that he was, most doling out their fair share as well, and getting pissed off would only hurt the team. Two years ago Logan would have hauled off and punched his opponent in the face, but not now. Though truth be told, he'd left a few marks on his opponent's body too.

"Play clean," Logan reminded the team of their motto. He received the standard grunts of exhausted acquiescence in reply.

"You guys kept things even there, which is better than losing points. But now it's go-time. You need to work more together as a team to pull off this win. That's all I'm going to say. Listen to me for the plays and _do this!"_ Coach Fennel's words were forceful, and Logan could tell that the man was about ready to pull his hair out.

"We can do it, Coach," Logan called out, nodding his head to everyone.

D'Amato spoke up, "Logan's right. We can do it. Let's see how many more ladies line up at the door for a gold medal."

The team laughed, a few hooting, but the buzzer broke the moment. It was time to start the last quarter of the last game in his first Olympics. Logan threw his gaze up at where he knew Veronica was with her friends. He could barely make her out, much less see her expression, but just knowing she was there was enough. He had support.

A moment flashed in his head of them kissing at the table with Dick biting her gold medal and the natural competitor in him sparked. He really wanted a medal of his own, and silver just wouldn't suffice.

The final quarter seemed to pass more quickly than the others had, which was strange; usually it lagged. This time when Logan's Croat friend tried to kick him, he pulled him in as close to his torso as he could and then pushed his knees to create a barrier. It worked, and Logan easily caught the pass from Dick and immediately sailed the ball into the net just past the goalkeeper.

"Yes!" Logan let out a cheer as his teammates swam over to pat his head on their way to setting up for defensive play.

Logan had evened the score, but there was no time to let down his guard and celebrate. He was too tired to let this game go into overtime. He didn't know how he'd keep up the energy level for extra minutes.

He cringed when Croatia took a shot, but Enbom blocked it easily and tossed it to Logan, who passed it seamlessly to Dick and then took off for the other end of the pool. This was it. They were down to the wire. The clock was counting down its last minute.

Quick passing kept Logan on his toes, but they'd have to shoot soon. The opposing defenseman was all over Logan, but he refused to sit blocked. Logan saw the ball coming toward him and jumped up to take it. Ignoring the clump of a foot to his lower back, he caught the ball. In a frenzy of arms and legs, Logan lay back into the water to create even more space between himself and the Croat as he looked for a clean shot. A different defenseman moved to block him, leaving Dick wide open.

Logan's whole body hummed with excitement as he threw a perfect pass to Dick. And then time slowed down, the cheers of the crowd and the screams of coaches becoming a wall of static as Dick caught and shot toward the ball in one fluid motion.

The Croat jumped for the ball, but missed it by a mile. A whistle blew, and the game was over.

The next few minutes were somewhat of a blur. There was a rush of cameras both underwater and above. The rest of the team jumped into the pool, taking Coach Fennel in with them. There was screaming as Gant and Kane pushed Logan underwater. Assistant Coach VanLowe landed on Weevil and Butters as he did a messy belly flop into the penalty area. And somehow Logan ended up perched atop the goal with Casablancas holding a very wet American flag.

 

* * *

 

Logan sat at the bar nursing his beer. The guys were several drinks ahead of him, and though he was tempted to get blitzed too, he was taking his time. He had a gold medal around his neck and had planned to party, but now that seemed less important. Tonight was his last night in Rio…his last night with Veronica.

His phone vibrated in his pocket and Logan adjusted so that he could retrieve it. Aaron's name flashed across the screen, and Logan deleted the text without reading it, knowing its contents would only piss him off. Tonight had nothing to do with Aaron.

Veronica's text from earlier, on the other hand…well, he'd read that one at least three times. She was supposed to be here already; the whole team was waiting for her. The guys had agreed to start the party at the bar where they'd played pool the other night rather than at the club, which suited Logan fine; he and Veronica would have a fighting chance of being able to hear each other.

Logan saw Veronica when she entered the bar. She caught his eye briefly and winked at him as she stealthily slipped around the rest of the group unnoticed. Logan trained her with his eyes but lost her for a bit in the crowd near the bar. She reappeared a moment later and began to walk toward him when she was spotted.

"Ronnie!" Dick cheered, his bottle high above his head. The guys repeated the greeting in a chorus as Dick pulled her into a bear hug.

"There you are!" Enbom said, scooping her up in a brief hug.

"Here I am!" she returned, laughing. "Let the party begin!" she teased.

"We were starting to think you'd ditched us," Gant lamented as he pulled her in for a hug too.

"Never!" she admonished, her eyes wide in mock horror. "I just spent the last twenty minutes trying—and failing—to sneak my friend into the village. But I'm here now. I couldn't flake on my favorite _Olympic champions!"_ She spread her arms wide, indicating the large group, and the team mobbed her.

Logan laughed at their antics, hanging back from the rest of the guys. He'd never dated anyone that his friends loved like this. She fit in like a piece into a puzzle. _Not that this is dating,_ he reminded himself. He'd promised himself he wouldn't dwell on it being their last night together, but it wouldn't do to think it was more than that either.

"So, I think you owe us a little somethin'?" Weevil prompted, rubbing his hands together greedily as the other guys stepped away.

"Oh, ye of little faith! Veronica Mars always keeps her word." She stepped over in front of the bar and threw her arms up over her head. "Hands behind your back, boys! Congratulatory blow jobs for everyone!"

The group went silent, and Logan sensed all eyes turn on him.

Logan felt an embarrassed smirk cross his lips as he gazed at her. Her eyes were bright and mischievous when she looked back at him. He had absolutely no idea where this was going, but considering what he knew about Veronica, it would be an adventure.

Veronica's brow furrowed and her arms dropped to her side dramatically. She looked demure all of a sudden, as if she'd been chastened. Her voice was sugary-sweet and innocent when she spoke, "Geesh, I know Bailey's and Kahlúa aren't exactly top-shelf, but we like 'em back home." She stepped aside to reveal a line of drinks laid out across the bar.

Logan laughed out loud and the guys collectively cheered while lining up at the bar.

"Now remember what I said," she instructed. "We're doing this like the pros do. Hands behind your back!" Veronica leaned over and took the first shot perfectly, dropping the glass from her mouth to her hand when she was done and slamming it down onto the bar.

 _She's so damn hot,_ Logan thought, wondering how he'd ever survive next days…weeks…months…without moments like this—moments with her.

The guys eagerly followed suit, and Veronica gave him a proud look as she walked purposefully toward him. He moved to take her into his arms, but she kept just out of his reach. "Well, whip it out, then. Let's see it."

Logan laughed. His cheeks were actually sore from smiling so much these past few days. He leaned forward to give her a chaste kiss, but she took a step back. "I'm sorry, kisses are reserved for gold medal winners. Let's see the proof." Her voice was smooth as silk, but her eyes were soft. Logan made a sigh of mock protest as he unzipped his jacket to reveal his gold medal.

"It's not like you haven't seen one before," he teased. "You have one of your own if I'm not mistaken."

"Oh, that old thing?" she goaded. "That's so last week." Veronica reached out for the medal and beamed up at him. "But this one…this one is special."

Logan loved playing these games with her. "Oh really? And why is that?" he asked, reaching forward to kiss her yet again.

This time she didn't shy away. She grabbed him by the medal and pulled her into him. "Because it's yours, of course," she murmured just before their lips touched.

The kiss was soft—sweet. Veronica melted into him. He took her hands in his and wound them behind his neck, slowly running his hands down her arms toward her shoulders. The kiss lasted a moment before she pulled away.

"I feel a little woozy," she admitted. She was breathless and her eyelids looked heavy.

"You did just down a shot," he pointed out. "You need to sit down?"

She laughed slightly and shook her head. "I'm pretty sure it's you, Buster," she said lightly. His throat felt a little thick all of a sudden, and he tried to look into her eyes. Her words were strong, but she was avoiding making eye contact. Her gaze was instead fixed on his medal, which she was fiddling with nervously. Maybe the guys were right. He hadn't let himself consider the possibility of something long-distance being viable, but maybe with Skype and air miles… He pushed the thought out of his head for now. He'd see where tonight lead them first.

"You don't have to worry about me, you know? I'm a sure thing. If you ask me back to your room later, I will say yes," he joked, pulling her in and tucking her under his chin.

She melted into him, her arms wrapping around his chest. "And here I had this whole perfectly-worded proposition carefully planned out," she responded, doing her best to look annoyed. "I wrote it on a Post-it." She tapped the pocket of her short jean skirt. "No need?"

"No need." He shook his head. Finding it impossible to resist, Logan lowered his head, kissing her deeply this time. "Do you need to spend some time with Lilly?"

Veronica shook her head. "No, I spent the day with her and we've got shopping planned for tomorrow, I—"

"Logan, come over here and get your blowjob."

Logan turned to see Dick standing at the bar, smiling at them. Butters wiped whipped cream from his mouth and smeared it across the top of Dick's head, eliciting a groan from Dick as he locked Butters' head under his arm. He kept talking as if he wasn't holding his teammate in a chokehold.

"Ronnie, you can't come late and then make out the whole night. This is a party!" he teased, reaching over to give Butters a noogie. Butters squirmed out of Dick's arms and gave him a playful shove as he retreated.

Veronica turned in his arms. "You're right. Darts anyone?"

 

* * *

 

Veronica sat on a stool against the wall, watching the guys' hijinks. She was glad she'd kept a clear head. She'd had an amazing night, but now it was late and the bar was full of brazenly drunk athletes. For her, that meant it was time to go. Logan had paced his drinking as well, and when he stepped away from the pool table after landing a perfect shot, Veronica motioned with her finger for him to come over.

"Hey, beautiful," he said, full-charm mode in action, "come here often?" He reached around her waist and looked down at her.

She smiled, loving their games. "Once or twice, perhaps. This seems to be where the cool kids hang out, and social climbing is my goal in life."

Logan furrowed his brow. "I'm not sure water polo is socially escalating."

"You're right." She widened her eyes. "Any idea where the equestrian team parties? I've always wanted a pony."

"I've got something you can ride," Dick said from her left, sweeping his hair to the side and looking every inch a southern California surfer.

Veronica forced herself not to smile. "Tempting, but no thank you."

"What? I mean if this really is just some 'Rio thing' like Logan said," Dick used air quotes, "then—"

Logan opened his mouth to speak, but Weevil came up from behind Dick and grabbed him from behind. "Move along, Dick, nothing to see here." Weevil winked at Veronica as he nudged Dick away from the group.

"How is it that you're always around to save me, Weevil?" Veronica asked, shooting him a grateful smile. She was glad for something to say. Dick's words had caused a pang in her heart. Her logical mind totally understood that her relationship with Logan was limited to these weeks in Rio, but his words last night had made her think that maybe distance wasn't important.

"That's Weevs for you." Logan broke her train of thought. "He's like the perfect sidekick."

"Don't ruin my street cred. " Weevil shook his head. "I'm no sidekick. You make me sound like some bald guy with tattoos who rides the school bus."

"No, I dunno, I think you'd look great riding shotgun in a side-car…we could get matching capes—"

"In your dreams," Weevil scoffed, rubbing his bald head. "You can save your own ass from now on." Eli turned and took a few steps away before whirling around to face Veronica. "I still got your back, V," he said before making an 'I've got my eye on you' motion to Logan.

"It's official. The team likes you more than me already," Logan sighed.

"But of course! What's not to love?" She twinkled her eyes at him.

"Sorry about Dick. He's…"

"Wasted?"

"I was going to say a jackass, but wasted is probably more accurate."

"Dick doesn't bother me," she hastened to tell him before he could say more. It didn't matter. Did it? Was she crazy to let herself think about something long-term…long-distance? She hadn't let Lilly talk about it; she'd barely let herself think about it. But Dick's words had clearly come from Logan. "I know this is a Rio thing, Logan." The words tasted like acid in her mouth, but she continued. "Don't worry about me. I'm a big girl. Tomorrow is back to reality."

He looked conflicted, but he exhaled and smiled with a quick nod. "Reality. Right."

She didn't want to let over-thinking ruin the evening. She was desperate to salvage what time they had left together, but she also wanted him to celebrate. She decided to give him the choice; she took his hand and pulled him in close.

"Hey I know it's your big night, and if you want to party till the sun rises, I totally get it, but when it gets this rowdy," she shrugged, "it's just not really my thing. This is like a giant jock party—"

"You're a jock too now!" he reminded her. "No more high school labels."

"It's the Olympics, Logan, everyone's a jock. But on the jock scale, water polo is like—" she motioned up high above her head with one hand "—up here." She moved her left hand two feet below. "Me and the badminton team are like down here…"

"Actually that's the badminton team over there." Logan pointed to the bar where a group of athletes was doing shots off each other's navels.

"Okay, so the table tennis team and I are like down here…" she tried again, putting her arm even lower than she had for the badminton team.

"Shut up," he whispered. "My whole team loves you." He leaned in close for a kiss.

"We've already determined that your friends' taste is questionable," she teased, and then she pulled away. "Please be serious for just a minute. I'm letting you off the hook. I think you should party until the break of day. You deserve it. But I've reached my crazy drunken bar patron quotient."

"And what if I don't want to be let off the hook?" he asked her, all seriousness.

"Logan—"

"Veronica, I'm on the plane with all the guys tomorrow," he insisted. "And, if you hadn't noticed, the half that haven't found some companionship or moved to the club are so wasted they won't miss me."

Veronica looked around the bar and realized that he was right. The crowd was thick and his teammates had either bowed out or were ordering shots at the bar.

"Ready to go?" he asked, holding out his hand to her.

She nodded happily as she slid off the seat. _As if he even needs to ask._ "Your room or mine?" she asked as she took his hand.

"Yours is closer," he whispered, pulling her tight and tucking her under his arm.

It felt right—perfect. It was her last night in Rio and she wouldn't dwell on how cute he was or how well she fit right there.

 

* * *

 

 

By the time they reached her bedroom, Logan's body hummed with anticipation. He couldn't hold her close enough, couldn't touch her enough. If tonight was all they had, he'd make the most of it. She wasn't going to sleep at all. The thought made him grin.

"What?" she asked as they passed through the building's foyer, dodging rowdy, drunken athletes. When he didn't reply, she pressed. "The look on your face…you seem almost dangerous. Should I be worried?"

Logan led her into the elevator and pulled her into the back. "I was contemplating the next several hours and how little sleep we're going to get."

A shy smile crossed her lips. "I've always felt that sleep was overrated when there are more…enticing options available."

He wrapped his hands around her waist from behind, pulling her against him. Other noisy athletes filed in after them, and Logan moved them into a corner, holding her close. Despite the pandemonium around them, he remained hyper focused on Veronica, moving her hair aside to nuzzle her neck. His hands—desperate for contact—moved to the waistline of her skirt. Forgetting that anyone else in the world existed, he ran his thumbs across it until her top moved enough for him to feel bare skin. It's softness and warmth spurned him on, and he caressed his way up to the bottom of her bra.

Veronica gasped when he found a sensitive spot on her neck, which seemed to bring her back to reality. She let out a deep sigh and turned in his arms. "I'd like to keep things above clothing in public if at all possible." She smiled as she said it and resumed kissing him. He smiled against her mouth as he squeezed her ass, pulling her flush against him.

"Better?" he whispered between kisses.

She only nodded as she moved her arms to encircle his neck. The kissing went on for a while, and it took Logan a moment to realize that they were alone on an elevator that had passed their destination and wasn't moving. He chuckled as he reached forward to press the button to her floor and the elevator began its descent. "Maybe we should have stuck to the stairs."

They reached their floor and Veronica pulled him out, walking backwards. "I kinda enjoyed the elevator ride, myself." She turned and headed to her room with Logan in tow.

When she unlocked the door, Logan quickly ushered her inside and spun her around to back her against the door. He lifted her off her feet and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He took advantage of her short skirt and pulled it up and over her hips, giving him full access to her ass. He groaned when he realized she was wearing a thong, deftly moving the thin strip of fabric to the side. He kissed her deeply as his fingers traced her wetness. The thought of her spread wide and exposed to him against the door drove him wild with desire. Suddenly imagining wasn't enough. He couldn't touch enough of her, and the all fabric between them was killing him.

"I can't wait," Logan whispered, pulling away from the door and taking her with him. He felt her shiver and took it as a good sign that he wasn't pushing her too far, too fast. He gently lay her down on the bed, keeping his body over hers as he unfastened his shorts and boxers and pulled them over his hips. He stayed in between her legs as he pulled back a bit to step out of them. Veronica took advantage of the space and sat up a bit to pull her shirt off over her head. She kept her gaze on him as she unhooked her bra from behind and let the straps fall off her shoulders.

She looked amazing sitting there before him—her bra falling to the side to reveal one pink nipple…her skirt hitched up around her waist…her legs spread apart. She was the culmination of every desire he'd ever had. And to top it off, he genuinely cared about her, which just intensified everything he was feeling.

Veronica smiled up at him as she moved to tug at her skirt.

"No, leave that right there," he said, his voice sounding hoarse even to his own ears. "You're beautiful."

Veronica cocked her head to the side as if trying to discern if he was serious. Then a coy smile spread across her lips and she lay back down against the mattress, pulling her bra off as she did so.

Logan reached over to the bedside table, where he now knew she kept her stash of condoms.

No, there wouldn't be much sleeping tonight.

 

* * *

 

When Logan woke up it was still dark in the room. Veronica was wrapped around him—her head on his chest, her legs intertwined with his. One arm was wrapped around his stomach, her fingers tucked in under his side. He kissed the top of her head without even thinking about it. Like an old habit—like something he'd done every morning for years and something they'd continue to do for years to come.

A glance at the window told him it was still early; only a trace of light peeked around the corner of the shade. They'd made love for hours—sweetly, gently…less gently, and then they'd started all over again. Logan had no idea what time they'd finally fallen asleep. He was surprised he was awake this early now. Habit, he supposed.

It was hard to believe that by this time tomorrow he'd be in the US, on his way to LA. Logan had worked hard to not think about it at all last night. But now the thought of his packed bag waiting in his room and his passport and tickets in the safe felt like reality slapping him in the face.

He snuggled her more closely to him and buried his face into her hair for a few more moments of peace before the inevitable. He'd never been good at goodbyes, or more accurately, he had very little experience with them. His father had never bothered, and he didn't want to think about his mom. He'd escaped Neptune without a care to those left behind—his close friends had gone to Mater Dei with him. Nope, goodbyes were unpracticed and the thought of starting today…starting with Veronica…he felt anxiety bubbling up and resented that it was intruding on his last moments with her.

Taking a deep breath, Logan brought his hand up to the side of her head and stroked her soft hair, memorizing the moment. Memorizing the feel of just being with her. Veronica didn't stir, still deep asleep. Logan carefully reached over to the bedside table for his phone and saw that it was just after five. This was the time to make a decision—it was go time…slip away for a tough but survivable amount of discomfort now, or snuggle back against her for a few hours of pleasure but then deal with much more pain later.

 

* * *

 

Veronica felt tense all over when she began her gradual return to consciousness. It was an odd feeling after the night she'd had. Usually when she woke up with Logan she felt warm and cozy. She turned herself to face the other side of the bed and wasn't altogether surprised to find the space next to her unoccupied. The first pang of disappointment that she felt quickly was replaced by relief.

Their entire night together had already felt like one long, drawn out goodbye, and now she appreciated that she wouldn't need to do it all over again.

No matter how much she'd thought and planned—obsessed, even—about how that conversation could go, she'd dreaded it. She'd even toyed with the idea of bringing up keeping in touch and seeing where it led them. Based on Logan's departure and what Dick had said at the bar, she was glad she hadn't gone that route.

Her relief melded into sadness and from there back to disappointment. She'd miss him. There was no twelve-step program to getting over a Rio fling.

 _This is for the best, Veronica. A clean break. Cold turkey._ She reminded herself as she hopped out of bed and padded toward her tiny bathroom.

A text popped up from Lilly, showing her friend sitting on a stack of designer luggage. "All packed n ready to go. Let's hit duty free early. Retail therapy will take your mind off…things."

Veronica smiled, glad that some things never changed. But Lilly was right; Veronica needed to keep busy…keep putting one foot in front of the other until she got back to the whirlwind waiting for her at home. She'd move and get settled into her dorm and get going with classes. There'd be very little time to pine over her Rio fling.

Veronica stuffed the few things that she hadn't already packed into her suitcase and zipped it up. She could shower at the Carnathan's rented house. It was time to leave the Village behind. With one last glance for anything forgotten, she pulled her valuables out of the safe and into her studded leather shoulder bag. She'd keep moving forward until this got easier…until Logan was just a memory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a birthday chapter for Lisa—barely squeezed in before midnight! Happy Birthday, friend!
> 
> A big thank you to kmd0107 for the beta.
> 
> There's only one one more installment left and most of it is already written, so I should be able to get it out soon. Thanks so much for reading. Please let me know what you think.


	5. LoVe Night Six & Epilogue

**LoVe Night 6:**

She resisted the urge to cyber stalk him. Even though things were not continuing between them, Veronica wasn't interested in seeing pictures of Logan with other girls. Lilly had informed Veronica that there wasn't much point to stalking anyway. Logan worked hard to keep himself out of the limelight. She'd seen a few articles online about him and water polo, but hadn't read them.

The urge to text him was harder to stifle, however. His contact information, complete with picture, was just sitting on her phone, waiting to be used. She'd managed to stifle the impulse to text him when she and Lilly had done blowjob shots on their last night together in California. And then again when she'd met Christy, her oddball roommate who collected scrunchies, played the trombone at least four hours a day, and hadn't even known the Olympics had taken place that summer.

Now, finally settled into her new room—thankfully Christy, and trombone, free—she took a moment to lean into the feelings of missing him. Logic told her that missing him was crazy—she'd just met him for goodness sake. But, she couldn't help how she felt. She couldn't help but miss their banter and late nights…the cuddling…swapping secrets. Veronica pulled out her phone, opened a new text and typed in his name. But then she stopped herself. She should give this whole college/other people thing a fighting chance. Maybe if she still felt this way after Thanksgiving she could have Lilly do some recon. If the two of them took a little road trip down to LA over Christmas break and she happened to run into him…

_This is crazy, Veronica, you're obsessed. And weren't you the one who laughed at those couples who claimed they were going to take their relationship to college? Claimed their love would span the long distance?_

With a grumble, Veronica stood and grabbed her bag off the chair at her desk. She rifled through it, looking for her student ID that she seemed to always misplace. It needed to be on a lanyard around her neck like her credentials in Rio had been. She'd need to find it if she wanted to make it to the bookstore before class; she'd already wasted enough time daydreaming about things that were farfetched.

 _By Thanksgiving he'll have moved on, Veronica._ She found her student card tucked into a corner of her bag, haphazardly stuck to a flier. Veronica pulled them both out together and read the paper. Pi Sigma Sigma party? She'd missed the first week dorm-bonding events and had never been one for female bonding, so rushing had been the last thing on Veronica's mind when she'd started college. A frat party might be a good way to meet some people.

Veronica reached for her phone and texted Cindy Mackenzie. They hadn't been super close in high school, but Veronica longed to see a familiar face. Not only had Mac always been nice, unlike all the rich kids Veronica had grown up with, Mac was down-to-earth. Mac had even tracked Veronica down when she'd arrived on campus to congratulate her about Rio. Maybe Mac would brave a college party with her.

With the message sent, she set off for the bookstore, feeling better already.

* * *

Logan smacked the alarm on his phone, hitting snooze just in case he fell asleep again. It couldn't possibly be five already. He really wanted stay in bed—to sleep for several days. Early morning practice made it easy to have a somewhat normal class schedule, which he appreciated, but he needed some time to catch up on sleep after Rio.

He didn't know what he'd been thinking, telling Dick he'd help him move in. Dick was a millionaire, and his idea of moving in was watching people unload boxes while he drank beer and ate pizza.

Logan, on the other hand, was ready to start fresh—get his hands dirty. After checking with Aaron's publicist to make sure he was out of town, Logan had ditched Dick. He'd gone back home just long enough to throw his already-packed boxes into his Range Rover, and then he'd taken off up the I-5 without a backward glance.

Now, almost a week later, he'd attended each one of his classes and had even done his assignments. He'd caught himself up and kept moving forward academically. But sleep remained elusive, and right now he just wanted five more minutes.

"Hey, roomie." Logan raised his head and was clocked in the face by a pillow. Instead of tossing it back, he just used it to cover his face, blocking out the world.

"Can't hear you…sleeping," he grumbled.

"Coach is announcing the start list," a muffled voice replied. "See you downstairs in five."

Logan pulled the pillow off his face and threw it across the room back onto his roommate's bed and reluctantly hoisted himself to sitting. "Yeah, I'll be there."

* * *

"So tell me again why we're here."

Veronica stopped in her tracks a few houses down from the party. She could hear the music and see the crowd ahead of them.

"To have fun, Mac!" Veronica pressed, not looking at her companion. She'd had to persuade Mac to come in the first place, and she was beginning to regret it. Veronica hadn't been a big partier in high school, but she'd definitely always tried to make an appearance at gatherings. Or, more accurately, Lilly had always dragged her, and now Veronica realized she was doing the same thing to Mac.

But Veronica couldn't think about that right now. She was on a mission. A mission to have fun and acclimate and meet people and…and…forget. She shook her head to clear it of dreary thoughts and turned to Mac. Mac had purple streaks in her hair, which looked awesome and somehow made her blue eyes pop even more than they normally did—she looked amazing. "We're here because we're young and cute and this is college—the time for broadening horizons…expanding our interests…being reckless…"

"Reckless?" Mac scoffed, but her dimpled smirk softened her words. "You gave me a rape whistle and three drug-testing coasters." Mac held one up.

"Yeah, well, reckless, yet safe?" Veronica offered hopefully. "Once a sheriff's daughter, always a sheriff's daughter, I guess," she admitted. Veronica sighed and reached to take the coaster from Mac's hand.

"No, I think they're cool," Mac protested, pulling her arm away and shoving the coaster into her back pocket. "I was just questioning your idea of fun."

Veronica shrugged and began to walk again, slowly, toward the party. "My dad slipped the safety gear into my bag. I figured I should at least use them."

"I suppose you're right," Mac replied. "And the hottest date I've had since arriving was the Cracking Cryptography Club meeting in the Rinconada common room. Little known fact: college geeks aren't any hotter than high school ones were."

"Noted," Veronica replied with a sharp nod. "How _is_ Wilbur Hall?"

"Probably a lot like Stern. You're in Larkin, right? At least we got co-ed! I mean at the very least, I get to watch people doing the walk of shame in the morning."

Veronica rolled her eyes, channeling her inner-Lilly. She needed to woo Mac. "That's why we're here!" She grabbed Mac's arm and increased their pace. "So that maybe one day we can have our _own_ walk of shame!" _And to forget,_ she added silently.

"Call me crazy, but I don't know if I want to have a walk of shame."

"Oh, you do!" Veronica assured her, still doing her best not to dwell on Rio. "I mean, with the right guy it's totally worth it, trust me!" Mac raised her eyebrows and Veronica saw her friend's cheeks flush a bit in the dim lamplight on the street. But Mac thankfully didn't press Veronica for details. They were just approaching the door of the frat house, and Veronica could feel Mac hesitate, so she decided to shift the subject slightly. "So, that's what you're into, then? Geeks, but maybe hotter ones?" she asked, not sure this was the right kind of party.

Mac really blushed at that. "Me? Maybe…kinda."

"It's okay to know your type," Veronica assured her. "If you're into geeks, embrace it."

"Well, if you must know, I think I have a secret affinity for something more…rugged…manly…edgy," Mac's dimpled grin gave away how nervous she was.

"Oh, I was way off," Veronica teased, straining to hold back a smile. "Wow, Mac, you have a thing for bad boys!"

"No!" Mac's protest was too quick. "Not _actual_ bad boys, just…I dunno…"

Veronica couldn't suppress her grin any longer. "No, you want someone who could be bad, but isn't!"

"You're grinning like the Cheshire cat, don't scare me," Mac warned.

"No, I don't want to scare you at all, I was just worried that we were going to have to go to more Sigma Pi Delta parties, but now I think we're in the right place after all." Veronica pulled out her student ID to show at the side gate, still holding onto Mac, who pulled hers out as well. "This is going to be so much fun." _Not to mention that the project of finding her a not-bad bad boy will keep my mind busy!_

* * *

Mac cursed herself for telling Veronica Mars her innermost bad boy secret. It wasn't out of the ordinary or anything, but Mac usually kept her feelings close. And Veronica Mars…sure, she knew her in passing, but she was Lilly's friend. Lilly wasn't what anyone would call tight-lipped. Mac supposed that Lilly's inability to keep a secret didn't have much to do with Veronica, but in high school the two of them had been considered a package deal, and Mac wasn't sure she wanted to find out the hard way. She liked Veronica; she always had. Mac had always felt like in some other life—in some other reality—they could have been close friends. Although Veronica was cool, Mac had no interest in being Veronica Mars' new pet project; she'd need to be more careful about opening up to her.

Take this party, for example. Even though this was college, this whole place shouted 'rich kids with too much time and too little parental supervision'—it was like highschool all over again. Except this time she was at the party with a 'cool' kid.

"Hey, Mac, I'm going to go get us some beers."

"I hate beer," Mac replied instantly, hating how much her discomfort was showing. "Don't leave me alone…someone could talk to me."

Veronica laughed, but not in a mean way. She seemed to understand. "That's the idea, silly. Besides, you don't have to drink it, just to hold it. I'll be right back."

She was gone in a flash before Mac could comment or try to follow. _Fabulous, I'll just wait here…in the backyard…alone in a throng of people._

"Hi there."

Mac turned to see a cute guy smiling at her. _Then again, maybe not being permanently attached to the gorgeous blonde Olympian has its advantages._

"Hi," she replied, hoping her nerves didn't show.

"I'm Todd."

"Mac."

"So, Mac, you have purple hair."

Not sure what to say to that, Mac just raised her eyebrows and nodded a little.

"So does the carpet match the drapes?" He laughed a little at his own joke.

 _So no, just like high school. Ya know what, I did it. I gave this a chance. My new Macbook Pro beckons._ "Well, Todd, talking was great. I'm just going to—"

"No, don't go. I was just trying to break the ice. Ya know, be funny."

Mac tried to pull her arm away. "Let me go."

"C'mon—"

"I believe she said you should let her go," a firm, masculine voice said from behind her.

Todd put his hands up in surrender and backed away, muttering something about freshman girls.

Mac whirled around to thank her protector. She was surprised to see someone who looked as out of place as she did. He was Hispanic and tattooed…a little on the short side for her taste, but his leather jacket suggested rugged. _Oh, Veronica is gonna have a field day with this._

"Thank you so much," she said sincerely.

"No problem," the newcomer replied. "Don't let anyone make you feel uncomfortable. Ever."

"I'm Mac," she said, offering her hand for him to shake.

"Eli," he replied, taking her hand with a brief tipping up of his head in acknowledgement. His hand was softer than she'd expected it to be. Maybe his rough exterior was a façade. A group of cute, fit guys stood just behind him, and Mac was grateful that he would step away from his friends to help her. "I take it you're new here, too."

"Yes," she groaned, knowing that everything about her shouted freshman. "I'm surprised they let you in. I was told freshman guys had a hard time; you must be rushing."

"No, no. You're right, but they make an exception for athletes. Lots of my teammates are brothers here." Eli turned around and pointed to the guys behind him.

 _A bad boy_ and _an athlete._ For the first time that night, Mac prayed that Veronica took her time. There'd be no living this down, and Eli intrigued her. "What sport do you play?"

"Water polo. This is actually my first week here. I was down in Rio," Eli offered nonchalantly, as if everyone went to the Olympics.

"To compete?" He nodded, and it dawned on her that her parents had watched the Rio water polo final on TV. "Didn't you guys _win_ in Rio?"

"We did," Eli answered. He let a small grin escape, and Mac knew that he was trying to play it cool.

"That's amazing. Congratulations!"

"Thank you." He nodded his head again, with still only a hint of a smile.

"You know, my friend—the girl I came here with—was in Rio too." Mac scanned the crowd and saw Veronica several feet away talking to a guy. She had her hand on his jacket. So much for her hurrying back. "There, that's her."

Eli followed her gaze, and Mac noticed his eyes widen. A confused wrinkle creased his brow for a second before a sly cat-like smirk slowly spread across his lips.

 _Guess this bad boy is attracted to petite blondes,_ Mac lamented. _Just my luck!_ She hadn't been really into Eli, but he was the first interesting person here who had approached her.

"You're here with Veronica Mars," his tone was surprised; yet it was more than that. Not surprise that someone as cute as Veronica Mars would be seen with Mac, but maybe surprise that Veronica Mars was here at all.

She wasn't quite sure what to make of his not quite question, so Mac kept her response simple. "Yeah, small world. I guess you know her?"

Eli nodded. "I guess you could say that I saw her around the Village some." Eli briefly looked at his teammates and then back at her. "Excuse me for one second." He stepped away a few feet and spoke softly to one of the guys, who nodded, and then Eli returned to her.

"Everything okay?" she inquired.

"Everything's great. I have a feeling this night is about to get a whole lot more interesting." Eli let out a huff and peered over her shoulder toward the side yard entrance.

Mac shifted her weight, the conversation was only getting more confusing. She had no idea what say next. Luckily Eli spoke up again, giving her his full attention. "So what's your major?"

Glad that he was taking the lead and seemed interested in getting to know her, Mac grinned. Maybe the night wouldn't be a waste after all.

* * *

Veronica scanned the crowd for Mac. It was dark, and the crowd around the keg had been thick. Though she'd been sure she'd left Mac by a tree, she hadn't realized that there were so many trees in this yard. She didn't know which one. _Crap_ , she lamented. _The one person on campus you know that actually has friend potential, and you lose her._

Without looking ahead, Veronica chose another tree as her target and began walking toward it. With a _clump_ she collided with a tall figure, causing her to drop one drink, and spill the other all over him.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," she gasped. "I wasn't looking where I was going and I—"

"It's no problem, really," the guy interrupted.

Veronica tried in vain to brush some of the beer off of his jacket, but it was just too drenched.

"I could get you a towel from inside," she offered.

He quickly shrugged out of it. "It's a warm night," he assured her, "I'll be fine."

Veronica, left standing there holding an empty cup, laughed a little. "Guess I'll be getting back in line for the keg," she told him.

"Looks like," he said with a shrug before he turned and disappeared into the crowd. Sighing, Veronica turned to make her way back to the keg when her phone buzzed from inside her pocket.

Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the sender's name on the screen.

* * *

Logan leaned into the mirror to check his hair again after pulling on his henley. He wasn't in the mood for a party but he felt obligated to go. Coach had said that Logan would start in the first game of the season, and Logan had to do damage control—butter people up a bit. Freshman didn't usually start, and though he seemed to be fitting in well with the team, partying with them and being the butt of a few of their jokes would ease the path. He didn't want to cause friction.

The party wasn't far away, and he was glad for the fresh air during the walk. Alone time was few and far between these days. Though his roommate wasn't chatty, he was ever present.

The guy glanced at his ID and then up at Logan before turning to speak over his shoulder. "Hey, Felix, we letting in freshman tonight?"

Logan looked over the bouncer's shoulder to see whom he presumed to be Felix; he offered a brief finger wave and his smuggest smile.

" _Him_ we are. He's water polo," Felix replied without emotion before addressing Logan, "Why didn't you rush?"

"I'm around guys in Speedos all day; felt like enough male-bonding to me," Logan answered with a shrug; he pocketed his ID and moved to enter the party. Being pushed around by upperclassmen for sport was even lower on his list than rushing was.

"Your boys are in the backyard," Felix called out after him.

Logan didn't bother to turn around, but he nodded in acknowledgement. So far at Stanford he was Logan Echolls, water polo player, not Aaron Echolls' son, and staying out of trouble was key to keeping it that way. But he didn't have the energy to make nice with everyone; he wanted to get this over with.

His phone buzzed, and Logan pulled it out. It was from his new teammate, Drew.

Drew to Logan: 'Get your ass here. You need to loosen up. There's a hot blonde out here that'd be perfect for you. Heard she's your type.'

Great, just great. He shot off a reply that he was on his way, but decided to take a moment for himself instead; he ducked into the frat house and found an unoccupied corner of the hall. While another girl might be just the thing to take his mind of Veronica, he didn't feel like hooking up with anyone. Things still felt strange the way he'd left it with her. Literally left. He didn't regret it because it was for the best, but he wished…he wished so many things. Before his conscience could stop his reckless side, Logan pulled out his phone.

Logan to Veronica: 'I know it's late and I have no right to say this because I'm the one who walked out, but I miss you'

There was a pause, but he could see that she was typing a reply. He waited.

Veronica to Logan: 'I miss you too'

Hmm. She wasn't giving him much to work with; that didn't really require a response, and yet he couldn't help himself.

Logan to Veronica: 'I'm at some stupid college party and the guys called me over to meet some blonde, and all I want to do is take a trip to New York.'

 _Way to put it all out there, Echolls._ Again, against his better judgment, he hit send.

* * *

Veronica's eyes narrowed as she read the text.

 _New York? What does meeting some hot blonde have to do with New York?_ Him dating other girls hurt, but it was inevitable. And she cared for him. It killed her a little to let him go, but she cared about him; she wanted him to be happy. But New York?

Veronica to Logan: 'Okay. Look, like you said, you were the one who left. And I understand why you did. So, I think you should go for the girl your buddies found for you. It's college, enjoy it.'

Veronica hit send before she thought too much about it, but then reread the text and winced. It was a little harsh maybe, but the last thing she wanted or needed was a play-by-play of Logan's college dating experience. Her heart raced when she saw him typing a response.

Logan to Veronica: 'Is that what you really want?'

 _Is he crazy? Of course that's not what I want!_ What she wanted was to be back in Rio, but he was clearly back in the saddle and ready to jet off to New York.

Veronica to Logan: 'I think it's best.'

His response was immediate.

Logan to Veronica: 'You didn't answer the question'

Veronica grumbled. She was getting angry that after he walked out, he was going to be the one to make her say it—to make it official. She blinked back the tears that burned her eyes.

Veronica to Logan: 'It's what I want. Go get 'er, tiger. Have some fun.'

Again, she could see him typing a response. She suddenly felt unseasonably warm and fidgety. She wanted nothing more than to not be standing in a crowded yard full of drunken people texting the one person she cared about to go find someone else.

Logan to Veronica: 'Rodger that, loud and clear. Heading out to 'have some fun'.'

Veronica wiped away a tear that had escaped, immediately regretting everything she'd said. She regretted it all. She really wanted to call him and take it all back and tell him not to go—to tell him to wait for her. She would have if it would change anything—if it would make a difference.

Blowing out a long sigh, Veronica decided to forego the beer and head back to find Mac. The only fun she'd be having this evening was with Jane Austin and Ben & Jerry. When her eyes could refocus, she took another look around the yard, desperate to find Mac. She spotted her friend quickly and took off across the distance.

Mac must have noticed the misery on Veronica's face because she broke away from the guy she was talking to and met Veronica halfway. "What's wrong?" she asked when they were a few feet apart.

Veronica gulped back her sadness and forced a weak—and surely unconvincing— smile. "I've decided that I agree with you. College parties are a distant second to any version of Pride and Prejudice with Chunky Monkey."

The crease of Mac's brow told Veronica that she hadn't convinced her friend at all. "Yeah, if you're sure. I was finally starting to have some fun, but we can go if you want to."

Surprised, Veronica opened her mouth to protest, but Mac shook her head.

"I'm not a huge Austen fan, though. I should warn you that I'll probably fall asleep." Mac turned and nodded toward the guy she'd been talking to. His back was to them. "First let me say goodbye to—"

Mac's companion turned around.

"Weevil?!"

Eli's smirky smile left Veronica thinking he wasn't at all surprised to see her there. "In the flesh," he confirmed, reaching forward to envelope her in a tight hug.

Veronica knew she should be happy to see another familiar face. She didn't know Weevil all that well, but his actions in Rio had proven him to be a stand-up guy. Unfortunately, now wasn't a welcome moment for Rio reminders.

"Wow, I had no idea you went here," she spoke, genuinely happy-ish to see him.

"Me neither. Nice surprise," he replied.

"Really? Because you don't seem at all…surprised."

"Mac pointed you out earlier," he explained, nodding to Mac whose cheeks pinked under his gaze.

 _Oh, Mac, if this is your idea of a bad boy, you'll be sad to learn it's all in the exterior,_ she thought. "Well, I was just heading out, but Mac, if you'd like to stay, I can vouch for Weevil—Eli?" He nodded, "—here."

Weevil stepped forward and clasped her forearm with his hand. "Whoa, whoa, there. You can't go now. The night's just getting started. I don't have practice tomorrow, for once, and—"

Frustrated, Veronica interrupted. "Yeah, it's early, but I'm beat. I'm just going to—"

"Just gimme a minute," Weevil insisted, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone.

Mac came to her defense, "If she says she wants to go, then we're going to go."

"I think there's something you should see—a surprise." Weevil huffed and looked over his shoulder to the gate.

Veronica cocked her head to the side, trying to size Weevil up. "If it's all the same to you, I think I've had enough—"

Weevil silenced her with his hand. He was holding up one finger toward her and flipping through screens on his phone with the other. "Trust me, V, I think you're going to like this, I just have to—" Weevil cut himself off, suddenly beaming while looking at something just over her shoulder.

"A blonde _and_ a brunette! Thank you, guys. Decisions, decisions…"

Veronica, shocked into silence, just gasped. It _couldn't_ be…

Weevil shut his eyes and shook his head while letting out a harsh sigh. "Jackass," she heard him murmur under his breath.

* * *

Just go have fun? Seriously? Logan reflexively turned in a circle, tugging on his hair to pull himself back to reality. Somewhere in the back of his mind, his conscience was screaming at him to not overreact—that there must be some reason for her to feel that way. But Devil Dick's voice was louder. He'd just poured his heart out for her and she'd essentially told him to piss off.

_Fine, if she wants me to go have fun, then it's fun I'll have. Let's see this blonde that's so my type._

Logan strode purposefully through the crowd, looking for Weevil and his other teammates. He spotted them near a large oak tree in the back. The blonde, presumably the one that was his 'type', was facing away from him with a friend, and both were talking to Weevil. Logan took a moment to collect himself. He didn't want to lapse into old habits. He didn't want to lose his head, or drink. But it was in moments like these that the old habits seemed so easy, so comfortable.

He strode past the keg, proud of himself for keeping his shit together. But he was still angry and upset, and when he approached his friend, his mouth said the first thing that came into his head.

"A blonde _and_ a brunette! Thank you, guys. Decisions, decisions…"

The words sounded harsh even to his own ears, and Weevil's sigh of annoyance was telling. _I'm a colossal jackass,_ he thought as he saw Weevil mouth something similar.

The brunette whipped her head around. She looked cute and awkward…sweet. And he'd just insulted her, which made him furious at himself. After a brief pause the blonde turned around slowly, and he gasped as he looked into the face of the person he most and least wanted to see in that moment.

"Veronica Mars." His happiness to see her superseded his angst, his embarrassment at what he'd just said, everything. Veronica Mars was standing in front of him and nothing else mattered. Everything else could be fixed.

He resisted the urge to pull her into his arms, waiting to gauge her reaction to what he'd just said.

She looked annoyed for a moment but then her eyes softened. "Is that how you greet all potential dates? Because if it is, I can see why you're still single."

"You're supposed to be at Vassar!"

"No," she replied, biting her lip. "Vassar was Lilly. But what are you doing up here? I thought…USC."

"Dick," he replied with a grin. "Dick's at USC."

Her grin told him that all was forgiven. At least for now. The moment he felt he couldn't resist touching her any longer, she threw herself into his arms. Logan clung tightly to her, losing himself in her softness…her scent…how perfect she felt in his arms. A moment later she pulled away enough so that he could kiss her.

It was a passionate kiss. It was amazing; it felt like a dream. He was half sure he'd wake up any moment and be back in his dorm room alone. But she felt so real.

"So, wait…" Veronica interrupted, pulling back slightly.

Logan used his mouth to shush her. "Less talking, more kissing," he said against her lips.

She protested, pulling away again. "But, you're not just visiting…you—"

"I go to Stanford, yes," he confirmed, reaching for her lips again.

After some catcalls from his friends, Logan reluctantly pulled back and sheepishly looked at his teammates. He introduced Veronica around, making sure to tuck her possessively into his side. He didn't know these guys all that well yet, and staking his claim seemed important.

Veronica introduced him to her friend, whom he immediately apologized to, before pulling Veronica away from the crowd and over to a more secluded corner of the yard that looked a bit quieter than the rest.

"Why do I feel like we only spend time in crazy crowded places full of drunk rabble rousers?" she asked, as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close.

"Um, because the only places we've spent time together are nightclubs, bars and sporting events," he reminded her.

She grinned up at him. "And rooftop terraces…and tiny Village dorm rooms."

Her tone was suggestive, and he was not going to miss the opportunity to get her to a more quiet—and private—spot as soon as possible. "Yes those were very nice too," he said, leaning forward to kiss her again. Soon the kiss turned into touching and touching lead to exploring. It took everything in Logan to slow down. "So…any chance you'd like a tour of my _new_ room."

"I'd like that," she whispered, leaning up onto her toes to kiss him again briefly and then stepping back to take his hand in hers. "Lead the way."

* * *

Despite his best efforts to get Veronica back to his room quickly, their walk to his place was slowed down by simple things like hand holding that turned into spin-kissing against trees, a brief make-out session against a random car in a parking lot, and Logan having trouble getting his keys out of his pocket without breaking yet another kiss.

He assumed, after the scene they'd made at the party, that he didn't need to warn Weevil not to come home tonight. He flipped the lock and turned to look at her, suddenly feeling hesitant. This all felt so important, and he didn't want to screw anything up. He'd missed her so much this past week with an intensity he'd never felt toward another person. He'd just been sorting through how he would handle the loss when she'd appeared. He didn't want to overwhelm her with how very much he wanted to touch her, feel her, breathe her...be inside her. He steadied himself for a moment before looking up at her.

Veronica had walked across the small dorm room and was studying him from where she stood, leaning against his desk. He gave her a soft smile, waiting for her to take the lead.

"What are you doing all the way over there?" she asked, tilting her head to the side slightly. He took a few steps forward and she met him halfway, reaching up to gently place her hand on his forearm.

The gesture calmed him—it was familiar, comfortable. He leaned in until their foreheads touched and breathed a sigh of relief. Even though it felt like everything else had changed, she was still Veronica, and she was here…and the feelings had been real.

"Missed you," she whispered.

And mutual. The feelings had been mutual. Logan reached up to cup her chin with both his hands, and kissed her—softly…gently. This kiss lasted an indeterminable amount of time—it could have been seconds, or minutes, or hours. At some point their hands began exploring, shedding clothing as they went. Eventually, they made their way to the bed where, again, they took their time. Logan made it his mission to kiss every soft curve, memorizing the sounds that he evoked from her along the way.

He kissed his way up her body, lingering on the valley between her breasts before slowly completing his path to her neck. He stopped for a moment, waiting for her approval, before he settled himself more fully between her legs and pressed inside her. Veronica kept her eyes locked on his, and she gasped when he pressed fully into her. For a brief second he thought he would explode right then and there, but the intensity passed and he relished in the feeling of being inside her, tight and hot. For once, he felt able to enjoy being with her without a looming feeling of urgency—of eminent loss. He felt as though he had all the time in the world with her—that he could keep her forever.

* * *

"So how did we miss this?" Veronica asked him. She was half-draped across him and kissed his chest after she spoke.

"Hmm?" he asked. Still in a state of pure post-coital bliss, his mind wasn't quite working yet. "How could I _not_ miss this?"

"Not sex! Us…here, both going to Stanford. How did we miss that?"

 _So serious_ , he thought. _Where's the time for the afterglow?_ "Well, I think we need to work on communication," he murmured, nuzzling her neck.

She giggled in response. "No seriously," she pressed.

"I _am_ being serious." Logan rolled onto his back and tucked her against him. "Neither of us ever asked the other where they were going to school."

"I thought you wanted it to be a Rio thing until you talked with me after you thought I was asleep—"

"You heard that?" he smirked. It was too late to be embarrassed. "Then you should have asked."

"I didn't think I needed to based on Dick's comment. He said you were moving into the dorm at USC."

"Communication," he reiterated with a kiss to her temple. He felt her smile against the skin on his chest. "So you decided to stay pretty close to home for school. Why, when Lilly was going to Vassar?"

She shrugged. "Mostly my dad. We're all each other have. I won't go home every weekend or anything, but I liked the option of being close." She paused for a moment before speaking again. "I guess I don't need to ask why you aren't down south."

"No, you don't. It's perfect…great school, not so far that it looks like I'm running away, and yet far enough away to be on my own. Weevil was coming up here, we decided to room together."

Veronica tensed up at the sound of Weevil's name and jumped up to sitting. "Oh my god, Mac!"

"Relax, I'm sure Weevil took her home." Logan lazily reached over to the bedside table, pushed the condom wrappers aside, and grabbed his phone. "Look, here it is, a text from Weevil. Yes, he _does_ sounds annoyed. He confirms that he walked your friend home and found himself other sleeping arrangements for the night. He even suggests I use my black AmEx to get us a hotel room in the future."

"I need to text her," Veronica groaned, reaching for her phone as well.

"You text her, I'll use the bathroom," he pulled himself out of bed and kissed the top of head.

"Any hurry for breakfast? I could use some more cuddle time," she suggested.

He grinned on his way to the door _,_ feeling lucky for the first time in so long. He turned back to her and said, "I like that idea."

"Me too," she replied.

When he snuck a peek at her as the door was closing behind him, he saw her settle against the headboard, sheets secured under her arms and a satisfied smile on her face as she texted. Yes, everything was going to be fine, he realized for the first time ever. _I love college._

* * *

**Epilogue**

Johannesburg, South Africa, 2044

Veronica leaned forward a little bit as if she were approaching the jump herself. Divinidi jumped a split second too late and her hoof brushed the top rail. Veronica and Connor gasped in unison, and Logan, whose hold on her arm was already reaching vice-grip level, groaned. "What happened? What happened?" he asked anxiously.

Connor laughed.

"Oh for goodness sake, open your eyes and see for yourself," Veronica huffed, not taking her eyes off their daughter.

Logan shook his head. "Nuh-uh," he protested. "Can't."

"You're such a _freak_!" she lovingly admonished with a roll of her eyes. This was nothing new. "We paid a fortune for you to come all the way around the world and _not_ watch your kids compete. And she's in the arena. These jumps just fall over if she hits them. It's cross country you should be worried ab—"

"Enough!" Logan released his hold on her arm and slapped it over one ear. "Update please!"

"Divinidi rubbed a rail, but it stayed up. Just two more to go and then it's just a race to beat the clock," Connor informed him.

Logan moaned again.

"Dad, she'll be fine," Connor said.

Veronica leaned her head against Logan's shoulder and felt the tension throughout his body ease for a moment. Until she involuntarily gasped again.

"What now?" he demanded from behind his hands.

"That one was clean. One more jump to go. She's got this," Veronica hissed through clenched teeth. Truth be told, she was as nervous as her husband, but someone had to watch.

"Oh, god! The clock. Go, Em, go!" Connor urged quietly, standing up as the horse sprinted the last twenty yards.

Veronica was too tense to speak until Emma and Divinidi passed the final marker. "Yes," she cheered, jumping to her feet with Connor had her side. They both jumped up and down for a moment before she remembered Logan. "She went clean!"

"It's over, Dad. You can look now," Connor teased.

"I need a minute," Logan sighed. He'd removed his hands from his face, but Veronica noticed that he was a bit green.

"Hold it in, Butters," she called out, "no trash cans around here."

That made him smile. "I think those few minutes took five years off me," he breathed, running his hands through his hair. "Whose idea was this anyway? What were we thinking? So many other choices: cycling or rowing...badminton or swimming!"

"Swimming?" Veronica asked skeptically, knowing all too well the rivalry between water polo players and swimmers.

"Okay, not swimming, but there are so many other options that don't involve a very large animal running at scary obstacles."

"You're the one that bought her that pony," Connor reminded him.

"That was your mother's idea. And that _pony_ Em just rode cost me a fortune!"

Veronica grinned at that. "Indeed it was my idea. When she was _six_. Since then, it's been all you." She turned to give him a soft smile, hoping he'd relax now that things were over, and patted his arm comfortingly. "Come on, let's go find your baby."

When they were a few feet away, Connor whispered, "Is he this bad when I'm playing?"

"I heard that!" Logan grumbled from behind.

"Oh, no, he's worse, but he doesn't hide for you—he yells at the refs the whole time." They all laughed at that. "No, son, when you play, it's _me_ that hides," she admitted.

"That's love for you." Connor waved his arm as he spotted something. "There's Em, I'm going to run ahead before you two get too mushy," he said, running ahead of them to get to his sister.

"I have no idea why he'd think we're too mushy," Veronica asked, her voice light as she reached up to kiss him.

When Logan pulled back he left a peck on her nose. "No idea at all," he confirmed. "Let's go hold our daughter's hand while the rest of the competition plays out and hope it's enough for a medal."

Veronica smiled up at him. "Sounds nice," she said, pulling him by the arm over to where Connor was already hugging his sister.

* * *

This was it. Veronica couldn't believe the whirlwind that the past weeks had been. It was their last night in Johannesburg. Logan was still very involved in USA water polo, and several of his teammates from both his Rio and Tokyo games were as well. It had been one big reunion, and Connor's silver medal had just been the icing on the cake. But now everyone seemed to have gone their separate ways, and all the family's interviews were complete; they had the evening to themselves. Veronica was looking forward to sleeping in for a change before their late afternoon flight.

Logan leaned back in his chair at the table and lifted up his glass. "I propose a toast: here's to an amazing Olympic experience. To my wonderful daughter whose bronze medal is even more remarkable because she scored a personal best—"

"Which you didn't even see from behind your hands," Emma pointed out, smiling.

"Shh. I watched all of the dressage and got a play-by-play for the rest." Logan turned his attention to his son. "And to Connor who played his heart out and won a silver medal – only to lose to the country that bested me in my Tokyo finals. If you have to lose, lose to the best." Logan nodded his head. "Nicely done."

"And to my exceptional wife." Both kids groaned. "No, tonight I get to be mushy if I want to…my wife, who keeps us all together and puts up with all the Echolls craziness."

" _She_ married you!" Connor laughed.

"Again with the mushy part," Emma sighed with an eye roll, channeling her Aunt Lilly.

"Shh," Veronica admonished. "Don't ruin my part."

"It's fine," Logan laughed, "I'm done. We'll get plenty of time to get mushy later." This was met with collective groans.

"Cheers!" Veronica said, reaching forward to clink her glass with everyone else's.

Emma was the first to put her glass down. Veronica noticed that after a long look and a nod from her brother than she was gearing up to something. "So…are we all done for the evening?"

Veronica held back a smile. "Guess you made some wild plans with the equestrian team?"

"Hardly! All those guys are already in bed with each other, Mom," Emma scoffed. Then her voice turned into a whine. "It's just our last night here and the Village…"

"You're lucky we even let you stay there. We know exactly what goes on in the Village," Logan interjected.

Veronica laughed…the kids were all grown up, but Emma would always be Logan's baby.

This time Connor spoke up. "Yes, we all know that you two know what goes on in the Village," he said with a sigh. "God forbid we go out and follow in our parents' hedonistic footsteps."

"We didn't do anything that bad—" Logan began, but was cut off by skeptical looks from his two children and a knowing one from his wife.

"Yes! You can go," Veronica said, but stopped the kids with one hand as they immediately stood up to leave. "But…" she began, causing matching groans from Connor and Emma as they sat back down.

"Get their number _before_ you leave tonight," Logan teased. "Oh, and where they go to school," Logan added with a smirk. "No use pining after someone who's in the dorm two buildings away."

"Oh, they're going to make all their own mistakes," Veronica said pointedly, stealing a glance at her husband as the smirk fell from his face. Veronica waved the kids off with a smile and then turned back to her pale husband. "They'll be fine!" she reassured him. "And, even if they're not, I'll keep you too busy tonight to worry about them," she added silkily.

"Promise?" he asked, leaning over to kiss her gently on the lips.

"I've already scouted out a rooftop terrace."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Yay, it's complete. Please let me know what you think of this final installment.
> 
> Thanks, everyone, for being patient with me through my first WIP, post-as-I-write, experience. It was kind of exciting, but now that I've done it, I think I'll go back to my preferred method of writing it all before I post. I'm still working on writing the story I'd planned originally. I am determined to finish it!
> 
> Once again, this was a fun, AU piece meant to be light and fluffy. Some facts are made up. While Stanford does have fraternities, those mentioned don't exist on campus, you probably can't play an instrument four hours per day in a dorm room, and if the 2044 Olympics happen to actually held in Johannesburg, please remember that you heard it here first. :)
> 
> Thanks, kmd0107 for the beta!


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